Falling
by Ukdallasfan
Summary: A story about JR and Katherine and their relationship developing in a way that didn't happen on the show. Hope it's okay :)
1. Chapter 1

JR stared out of his office window and smiled. Word was out that Katherine Wentworth had successfully taken control of her late father's company, forcing out her half -sister and brother in the process at the lowest of prices.

Granted he had helped and advised her but it had to be said that the execution was all down to her. The machinations, plotting, gaining people on her side, Pamela and Cliff remaining stupidly oblivious, had been nothing short of genius, he reflected. Then there was her courage in seeing it through.

He had never met a woman quite like her before. Katherine knew what she wanted and went all out to get it, never afraid, never cowed by the "man's world" in which she existed. Sue Ellen, by contrast, had no interest in business other than the material benefits that it brought to her. Her world was dominated by shopping or meeting with the ladies of the DOA, somewhere that Katherine wouldn't be seen dead at. His wife rarely, if ever, asked him any questions about the running of Ewing Oil, preferring to hide behind the façade that a wife should never seek to involve herself in her husband's business.

Sue Ellen had her attractions. She was beautiful and mannered with a poise and elegance that befitted his wealth and status. She was a good mother too. In the right circumstances she could also be sexy and fun but was that all their marriage amounted to?

Katherine was a rare beauty. He had often marvelled when they were together in the privacy of her hotel suite at the physical package that she presented. Porcelain skin offset by big, bright blue eyes and thick auburn curls with a body that was, frankly, to die for. She was also quite a bit younger than his wife which was only too evident when they were in bed together.

Katherine took great pleasure in their sexual relationship. Much to his surprise she shared his deepest and darkest desires, enjoying him being rough and dominating of her, letting him do whatever he wanted to her including the practice that he had never dared subject Sue Ellen to. In recent weeks their encounters had become ever more passionate, experimental and daring. He was becoming almost addicted to her and he surmised that she knew it.

He wondered how she felt about him? They had started as business transactions, Katherine repaying him for his assistance, never making any secret of her lust for Bobby. Had things changed recently, he wondered. She didn't seem quite as hell bent on making sure that Pam's divorce from Bobby went through, throwing her energies into the takeover and making sure that she pleased him instead. The last time they had been together had she appeared almost saddened when it came time for him to leave or was he just imagining it?

He got up and paced around the office. The buzzer went off causing him to return to his desk. "JR, it's Mrs Ewing on line one" his secretary informed him. Whatever could Sue Ellen want at this time of day, he wondered annoyedly. "Sue Ellen? How many times have I told you that I don't want to be interrupted at the office?" "I'm sorry, JR. It's my mother. She's been taken ill and needs me to go and look after her for a few days. I've arranged for the jet to take me. I just wanted you to know. "

Her words made him feel a little guilty. "Of course, you must go. I'm sorry darlin. I was just preoccupied with a difficult issue here. Keep in touch" he answered. "I will. I love you, JR." "Uh, you take good care of yourself and your mother" he responded, unable to reciprocate, not now he understood how he was feeling.

He hung up but almost immediately dialled again. "Katherine? It's JR. I want to see you tonight" he informed her determinedly. "JR, I don't know" Katherine replied hesitantly. "I'm truly grateful for all that you've done for me but we both know this isn't going anywhere. You're married. Go home to Sue Ellen."

JR's mind raced. "We both know this isn't going anywhere"- did she want it to? Did she actually want to be with him now, he pondered before quickly composing his response. "Katherine, we had a deal. That deal hasn't come to an end, at least not yet. I will be at your hotel suite for seven. You can arrange dinner to be brought up. I'm staying the night this time. Sue Ellen is out of town" he demanded, making it clear he would not take no for an answer.

Katherine gave her assent and put down the telephone. He's staying the night, she mused. He wants to be with me the whole night! We will go to bed and wake up together. Have his feelings changed? Do they mirror mine? She asked herself feeling excited but scared at the same time.

JR Ewing was the man who had empowered her. He had instilled the confidence in her to do what she needed to do, to seek revenge for the manner in which her half- sister and brother had inveigled their way into the company that her father had built up, for her, his only daughter. More than that, though, shortly before her untimely death the pair of them had ensured that her relationship with their mother altered, became less close, difficult, bordering on estranged. Grabbing shares in her father's company was despicable enough but ruining the bond that she and her mother had once had was abominable, she reflected.

JR was the only person who had helped her, the only one who understood her pain, her need to retaliate and not simply accept defeat. Being with him was exciting in its unpredictability, in her slight fear of him mixed with the attraction that she was now feeling increasingly towards him. She had once whispered the three words, in bed, after he had praised her, intent on a second encounter but had instantly regretted it, hoping against hope that he hadn't heard her.

She couldn't be in love with JR, she told herself. It would only end in disaster, her being the one rejected and hurt. Sue Ellen was the only woman he could ever really live with. He had demonstrated that by marrying her twice. She had heard the tales from Pam about how he had pursued her, determined to get her away from Dusty Farlow and back to him. He had succeeded and, in the process, secured the return of his only son to Southfork. JR wouldn't jeopardise that, not for her, no matter how much he enjoyed being with her, no matter how pleasurable their times together were.

She stood and walked to her office window. In the distance she could see the top of the Ewing Building. She imagined him back hard at work, driven to finish what he was doing before joining her at the hotel. She wanted to but she couldn't say no to him because the reality was that she needed to see him. When she was with JR she felt alive.

Tbc

 **This story was a request from Presea. Hope it's okay and captures what you asked to read. I will continue it I promise : )**


	2. Chapter 2

Katherine glanced at her watch followed by her reflection in the mirror. She tweaked a strand of hair back into position, finally satisfied by her appearance. On the stroke of seven she heard a light knock to the door.

"Good evening" JR greeted her, pausing to look at her. "You look pretty, Katherine. That shade of blue really suits you." Embarrassed slightly by his compliment she beckoned for him to come in. "Champagne?" she asked, moving to the ice bucket set on top of the bar. "Yes please" he answered taking off his Stetson. "Please make yourself comfortable, cheers" she told him, attempting to appear confident as she handed him his drink. In truth she was a bundle of nervous anticipation.

Accepting her suggestion JR took off his jacket, loosened his tie and folded his sleeves a couple of times before plonking himself down on the sofa. Katherine liked it when JR looked less formal. There was something very sexy about him when he was more relaxed. He also looked younger she felt.

He patted the sofa expectantly. She sat next to him on the edge, sipping her champagne, unsure of what to say. He stroked her back with his finger causing her to shiver. "Did you order dinner as I asked?" he enquired. She nodded. "Yes, it should be here very soon. I hope I got you something you like?" "I'm sure you did because you know exactly what I like, don't you honey?" His flirtation made her blush slightly. There was something different about him tonight. Usually he would just expect her to fall into bed with him, leaving when he had got what he wanted from her. Tonight, he seemed to be taking his time, doing what he would have usually done at home, enjoying a pre-dinner drink and making conversation with her.

"You know Katherine, the city is buzzing with what you did to the Barnes's?" he continued. "Oh, I fully expected to be the talk of the town, JR, not least because I am young and a woman" she responded, smiling sardonically. "Talk me through it please?" he enquired. Was he genuinely interested in her achievement, she wondered, assessing his expression, bemused.

"I just did what you told me. I picked off the members of the board whom I estimated remained loyal to my father and, following his death, to me. We then bought as much Wentworth Industries stock as possible until we had a controlling share. Your influence had brought down the value sufficiently to enable us to do it. Then, the meeting was called. My sister and brother walked in not expecting for one moment what was about to happen. I mean, how idiotic? Neither of them had bothered to check the movements on the market in the days leading up to it. I had banked on that to be honest. Otherwise I would have had to change tack. "

JR gazed at her in awe. "Go on then, tell me, how did they take it? How did that termite Cliff react to the news that they had been ousted?" Katherine smiled at the memory, the moment she had claimed victory over the pair of them. "Cliff was angry obviously, in that indignant way he has about him when he learns he has been double-crossed." JR smiled widely at the thought. He had been in that position all too many times, the last being when he had ruined the man so that he was no longer in a position to propose to Sue Ellen, causing him to attempt suicide, to try to take the coward's way out of his problems. He hadn't even been able to succeed in that either, he mused wickedly.

"They attempted to garner the support of the board but the vast majority made it clear that they stood with me. The only way forward was to admit defeat and permit a buy-out" Katherine explained, revelling in her moment of absolute success. JR laughed and then leant in for a kiss. "I am proud of you, you know? There are not many people who can pull off what you did."

As their lips met there was a knock on the door. "That will be dinner" Katherine announced as she got up to open the door. JR inspected her rear view carefully. Stunning, he thought as he watched her hips sashay seductively. As he watched her let the waiter in, directing him where to place the tray, he suddenly felt troubled. What if she now turned to the balance of her plan, to seduce Bobby, to make him fall in love with her, to claim him as hers?

The waiter left and Katherine beckoned him to the table. Before he could eat and enjoy the rest of the night he had to ask her, he decided. "I ordered steak. I hope that's alright" she informed him, holding her glass up for a toast. "Here's to victory, JR!" she exclaimed, smiling widely, now feeling much more relaxed in his presence.

"So, what now?" JR asked anxiously. He needed to know whether there was any chance that she might feel the same way as he did. Katherine gazed into his eyes, confused by the question. "Now? JR, we're about to enjoy dinner together before going to bed. That's all I want to think about right now."

JR grasped her hand. "No, I meant what about the future? What about your relationship with my little brother?" Misunderstanding where he was coming from she paused before responding. "Oh, I get it now. You want to know how I am going to make sure that Bobby never reconciles with Pamela?" Unbeknown to JR, Katherine felt disappointed, almost stung by the way that the conversation had developed. He clearly expects me to move in on Bobby now, she concluded. She mentally kicked herself for misinterpreting the situation so badly. JR didn't want a proper relationship with her. He just fancied enjoying himself for the night while his wife was away. Tomorrow it would be just as if it had never happened in his book.

JR shook his head and sighed sadly. Why was it that so many women were attracted to his boring younger brother? He might as well just get up and leave, tell Katherine that he'd had a good time but she was now released from their bargain, he thought.

Before he could decide what to do Katherine spoke. "JR, what are we doing?" she asked. He raised his eyebrow, confused. "I mean it, JR. Bobby doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I don't want him." What do you want then Katherine?"

Tbc


	3. Chapter 3

Katherine stared at JR, her mind racing as to how to respond, wishing that she hadn't blurted out how she now felt, or more accurately, did not feel about Bobby. "I don't know, JR" she eventually told him. "All I know is that after all that has happened recently things are different."

"How so?" JR asked, reeling from her unexpected revelation, if anything more confused than ever before. He knew he was pushing and he realised that it was making her feel uncomfortable but he just had to know. Was she falling for him in the way that he was for her? If so, that would create one mighty dilemma for him.

Sensing that he was laying a trap for her, one that she had no intention of falling into just yet because to do so would afford him the upper hand, she paused to collect her thoughts. "The take-over was a game changer for me, JR" she eventually responded. "It has given me a new purpose, to ensure that I maintain the company in thriving good shape. My focus has altered I think, that's all really."

"Is that all it is?" he asked, not wanting to believe that Katherine had no interest in romantic relationships now that she was at the helm of Wentworth Industries. "I don't know, JR" she responded, which to her represented the truth, at least in part.

"We should eat" she suggested, watching him but not really wanting to believe that he appeared somewhat downcast by her answer. "Then afterwards…" The promise of sex seemed to brighten his mood as he tucked into the large fillet steak that she had ordered for him.

Conversation turned inevitably back to business, the topic which saw them mostly on common ground. JR didn't know why but he felt able to confide in the young woman unlike Sue Ellen over the schemes that he had entered into to make sure that he won control over Ewing Oil. Bobby winning the contest just wasn't an option in his reckoning.

Between eating and conversing the atmosphere between them became less strained once more. They began to laugh over shared jokes concerning Katherine's half- brother, Cliff, JR revelling in tales of the havoc that he had wreaked for him through the years. Suddenly, Katherine's expression darkened as she recalled the last time that JR had taken his anger out on Cliff.

"Honey?" JR asked as she fell silent. "Tell me about the last time?" she asked, part of her wanting to know, the other not. JR raised his eyebrow. Didi Katherine want to know the whole truth, no matter how complicated, he wondered anxiously.

"It involved Sue Ellen didn't it?" Katherine asked. JR nodded solemnly. "As I heard it you went all out to destroy Cliff to stop her from marrying him and to win her back for yourself?" JR sighed and shook his head. "It was complicated, Katherine. Sue Ellen had my boy for a start. There was no way that I could permit Cliff Barnes to marry her and take over responsibility for the upbringing of my son. That would have been intolerable and Cliff knew it."

"You must have loved her though?" she asked, realising that she was placing him under a good deal of pressure but needing to understand. "I did, in many ways I still do" he replied with a frankness that not many had ever experienced with him before. "So why do you do things like this behind her back? Having sex with other women just because you can?"

JR harrumphed. If only it were that simple, he mused. It used to be but this time it wasn't as straightforward. "Are you finished?" he asked, gesturing to her plate, hoping to change the subject. "I'd like to take you into the bedroom, honey. You look so good tonight."

She shook her head. "We have all night for that don't we? JR, I just want to know a little bit more about you, what makes you tick, that's all." JR took a gulp of wine. Katherine wasn't for giving up. He gazed into her bright blue eyes before responding. "What if I told you that I don't regard what we have together as just a business arrangement anymore? What if I said that you have a much more powerful effect on me than I ever imagined when we first got started?"

Katherine blushed but then smiled. "Really, JR? Is that the honest truth? That you are becoming fond of me?" She chose her words carefully not wishing to betray her true feelings and potentially scare him off. JR nodded solemnly. "How would that make you feel, sugar?" "Confused, excited but scared at the same time" she answered "I don't know if I'm cut out to be someone's long term mistress, JR."

"Katherine, I can't make any promises. It's too complicated but it might amount to more than that. Sue Ellen and I aren't particularly happy at present. She puts a brave face on it but we both know that things aren't exactly working out in our marriage. What I would have to be certain of though is winning custody of John Ross if she and I were to divorce."

"So, where do we go from here? I never imagined myself as a home-wrecker. I mean, we hardly know each other outside of the bedroom" she told him, forcefully, suddenly conflicted. Should she feel elated or prepared for the biggest let-down in her life, she pondered as she watched him make to stand.

"Come on" he commanded. "The bedroom is a decent start and I am sure enjoying how our relationship is developing in there." "JR, I don't know. I've been hurt enough recently. I'm not sure that I can risk being hurt again, especially by you."

He took hold of her hand and pulled her to standing. "Come on, Katherine. You want this just as much as I do. I can't give you any guarantees but what I can say is that you are a most intriguing woman and one that I want to get to know better, in every way, not just physically." As he led her to the bedroom she knew she was powerless to resist him, at least for the night. She would have to figure things out from there. For now, she would let him do whatever he wanted to her in the hope that things might ultimately work out between them.

Tbc


	4. Chapter 4

Katherine opened her eyes, remembered and smiled. She and JR had had an extremely active and enjoyable night together before falling into a deep sleep. She reached over but did not find him next to her. She sat up to see him emerging from the shower, a towel draped around his lower half. "Good morning" he greeted her cheerfully. "Good morning, JR. Shall I order some breakfast?"

He shook his head. "No thanks, I've got to go. I've a meeting at nine and can't be late. I'll take coffee when I get to the office." Disappointed, she realised that this was the end of their "date." "Of course" she replied. "I have a busy day too."

Sensing her disappointment, he sat down on the edge of the bed and kissed her. "You were on fantastic form last night, sugar. I really enjoyed myself. I hope you did too?" His words cheered her up slightly. "Oh yes, JR, even though I am quite exhausted this morning." He stroked her cheek in response causing her to want to ask the dreaded question- when would she see him again?

She bit her lip instead, unwilling to let her guard down completely. She had been there before, at the news station when she had fallen for one of her colleagues whom it transpired was interested only in sleeping with her, and had her heart broken in the process.

She reached for her robe. JR snatched it back from her playfully making her giggle shyly. "Let me take one last look, Katherine. It will help me get through the day." She let the sheet drop at which he growled lasciviously. "You are very beautiful, but then you know that don't you, Katherine?" "It's nice to be told" she replied suddenly feeling even more insecure. Was this when he was going to let her down gently, tell her that all they had spoken about the previous evening was just a sad fantasy, that there was no way that he could divorce Sue Ellen and risk losing his son?

He kissed her once more wanting to taste her, to remember how it had been during the night when she had submitted to him enthusiastically, drawing him further under her spell. He knew he was playing with fire but couldn't help it. After the Holly Harwood debacle he had had to work very hard to get things back on an even keel with Sue Ellen. If his wife discovered that he was playing away again, this time with someone he actually felt something for, it would mean the end for them both and a second outing to the divorce court where the only issue would be the custody of John Ross, he warned himself. However, he just couldn't bear to end things with Katherine right then. He knew he had to make a decision but it was impossible at that moment. In the meantime, he resolved to carry on, albeit exercising the utmost caution in order not to be found out.

Katherine stared at him as he fastened his tie, still unsure of where she stood with him. He put on his jacket, still staring in her eyes. "I can't come back tonight" he volunteered, instinct telling him that she at least deserved to know when they would next come into contact with each other. "Two nights away from home would be bound to arouse suspicion." "Of course" she replied, attempting to appear casual. "What about next week?" he asked, anxious to let her know that he did want to see her again.

She shook her head. "I'm going to New York on business I'm afraid, JR." "How long for?" he asked, visibly irritated by the fact that things were not going completely his way. "For the week" she responded in a matter of fact tone, secretly gratified by his annoyance at her lack of availability.

"Where are you staying?" "At my apartment. I decided not to sell it when I moved here" she told him. Suddenly, he was struck by an idea. "How about I join you just for a few days? I can always think of some credible cover story."

Katherine paused before she responded, feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation. "I don't know if that would be such a good idea, JR. It's not that I don't like being with you but…" "Honey, it's like I said last night. We need to get to know each other better. Being away together for a few days would be a marvellous opportunity for that to occur."

"What if your wife suspects? I mean, it's not like you haven't got a history of being unfaithful" she answered doubtfully. "Don't you worry about Sue Ellen. I can handle her" he replied determinedly, now convinced that the risk was well worth taking. "Let me think about it, alright? I'll let you know."

JR nodded, content with the proposed compromise, and kissed her before finally taking his leave. As she heard the door to her hotel suite close behind him Katherine rolled over in bed and sighed in resignation. She knew that she would not say no to him when it came down to it, she couldn't. Last night had confirmed it for her. Falling asleep in JR's arms, knowing that he wasn't going to get up, dress and leave, had her hooked. Now there was the prospect of two or three nights holed up together in her Manhattan apartment, a city where the name JR Ewing counted for little, a place where they could at least pretend to be a proper couple. It was such a tantalising notion that she knew she was incapable of rejecting it. JR was bound to know that too.

She reached over and picked up the telephone. Speaking to the concierge of her apartment building, she made all the necessary arrangements for her place to be cleaned thoroughly and stocked up nicely for her, their, stay together in the city. However, she would let JR stew, at least for a couple of days, before informing him.

Tbc


	5. Chapter 5

"Well I could come with you?" Sue Ellen ventured, that feeling of stomach-churning uncertainty rising once again to the fore. "It's very nice of you to offer, honey, but you wouldn't like it. I'll be at the conference in the daytime and then touting for business in the evenings. You'd be all on your own and New York is one dangerous city for an unaccompanied lady" he responded firmly.

She was tempted to argue with him but then decided against it. If JR was having another affair there was nothing she could do to stop it. She would have to live with it or end the marriage once and for all, not that she felt anything like ready to do the latter right at that moment.

She watched as he packed. There was nothing particularly unusual going into his suitcase, just business attire and a couple of casual shirts and pairs of pants together with his toilet bag. She glanced at her watch. The Ewing jet would be ready to take off in under two hours, she estimated. "You need to get a move on, JR, if you don't want to miss your take-off slot" she advised him. He turned and smiled at her, suddenly feeling conflicted. Sue Ellen was his wife, the mother of his child, the one he had promised he was a changed man for. Now, there he was, preparing to betray her yet again with a woman for whom his feelings were becoming ever more powerful.

"I've got plenty of time, sugar" he responded, a pang of guilt dropping in his stomach. "Tell you what? When I get back you, me and John Ross will do something real nice together, alright?" She nodded, attempting to appear cheerful but, in reality, even more unsettled by his endeavour to be kind to her. At least when he was cruel she knew where she stood.

Taking his leave, he kissed her swiftly on the cheek, unable to bear the hypocrisy of greater intimacy given where he was going and what he was about to do. "You take good care of yourself and our boy" he told her. "I'll be back early evening on Friday. You know where I'm staying don't you? I'll call you from the hotel." Sue Ellen nodded doubtfully. Even if she attempted to play detective she knew that JR was a past master at covering his tracks. She could call the hotel or the conference centre on the pretext of an emergency but it would do no good. By the time that JR arrived in New York he would have enough people paid off to ensure that she never got the proof that she needed.

Her thoughts turned to the other woman, at a complete loss as to her identity. Normally it didn't take her long to work out who JR was seeing but, this time, his mistress remained an enigma. It definitely wasn't Holly Harwood. She and JR hated each other far too much for their affair to have been re-ignited, Sue Ellen estimated. She wondered briefly about Afton but then concluded that the young woman was far too heavily invested in Cliff for that to be a possibility. All would no doubt become clear at some point, she decided sadly. The one thing that marked out this affair, though, was that her husband had, for the first time ever, been prepared to take his mistress away. The longest that he had ever been away before had been a night and that had been a rarity, JR usually sloping in in the small hours, reeking of the woman's perfume mixed with the unmistakeable, devastating smell of sex, not caring that she would know. Three nights in New York of all places, that was highly unusual and, therefore, all the more frightening for her to contemplate.

She watched through the window as his Mercedes accelerated away from the house and turned left towards the road, nothing she could do to prevent him from leaving. She turned to hear the voice of her son. "Mama?" John Ross asked, sensing that his mother was troubled. "I was just watching your daddy set off for the airstrip" she replied, trying to appear breezy. "Come on, let's get our swimming gear on and go in the pool. It's a lovely afternoon outside."

Installed back in her Manhattan apartment Katherine paced from room to room inspecting the place to make sure that all would be perfect for JR's arrival. She stopped at her bedroom window and surveyed the view below. Situated right on the edge of Central Park her building was but a stone's throw away from the Essex House Hotel where she knew JR was booked in, at least nominally, as a guest for the next three nights. It hadn't taken her long as a former journalist to locate a suitable energy conference in the city that would provide a credible enough purpose for JR to have to visit. JR had then done the rest, getting his secretary to register him as a delegate, ostensibly keen to discuss the crises facing the industry and to learn about strategies to keep Ewing Oil afloat in the future.

She stepped away from the window and sat down on the bed suddenly apprehensive. This could be make or break for the two of them, she realised and the prospect scared her whichever way she looked at it. If he decided to leave Sue Ellen for her and then lost custody of John Ross could their relationship even begin to survive, she wondered anxiously. Worse still, if JR determined that he had just too much to lose at home and ended it with her, how was she going to cope with yet another rejection, this time from someone she had fallen so hard for?

Attempting to regain her composure she walked into the kitchen and placed a bottle of champagne on ice. She then peered into the refrigerator which, as instructed, had been filled with lots of delicious things from pre-prepared canapes from her favourite caterer to fresh meat and vegetables from only the best suppliers in the city.

She decided to run a bath for herself. Getting ready was going to take time if she wanted to look her best for him when he arrived. She stared briefly at herself in the mirror as the water was running. What are you doing, she asked herself before dismissing her doubts in favour of being with him as they had planned, the prospect of three nights together all too tantalising.

Tbc

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing. I am trying to tell this story from the three sides involved. Hope it is coming across : )**


	6. Chapter 6

JR picked up the telephone in his hotel suite and dialled. "Katherine? It's me. I've just checked in. I'll be with you in half an hour" he told her, excited to see her again at last. He placed the receiver back down and then picked it up once more. The next telephone call wasn't going to be as pleasurable as the one that preceded it, he thought.

"Teresa? It's JR. Can I speak to Mrs Ewing please?" JR held on the line as the maid went to fetch Sue Ellen. Keep it short and pleasant, he told himself, a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach, feelings of guilt never completely absent.

"JR?" Her tone sounded calm and normal, he told himself. Had he just got himself into a lather during the flight over Sue Ellen having suspicions about the purpose of his trip? "Hello, honey. I thought I'd call to let you know I've arrived" he greeted her cheerily. "How is everything?" she asked, trying not to betray how she really felt hearing his voice, knowing exactly what he was doing. "Oh, just fine, thank you. The hotel is very nice but New York isn't Dallas. I can't talk long. I need to get changed and then there's some sort of welcome reception at the conference centre. Totally tedious I know" he lied.

"What will you do after?" she asked, still keeping up the semblance that she was untroubled by what he was telling her. "I imagine I'll find a steakhouse somewhere, have a quick dinner and then get to bed. Say, sugar, tell John Ross I miss him?" "Of course, my love. Have a good evening." "You too, Sue Ellen. I'll call you tomorrow." "I love you, JR." Sue Ellen forced the words to come out of her mouth, determined to make him feel bad. If he was going to go to her tonight, whoever she was, she at least deserved a shot at putting a dampener on their first evening together. "I love you both too" he replied, much to her surprise, before putting the telephone down.

He slumped on the bed, shocked by himself. How did those fateful words trip so easily from his tongue, he wondered? Was it possible to love his wife but be in love with Katherine at the same time? Or was it just the guilt talking? Pulling himself together he settled for the latter. What he felt about Katherine Wentworth was real, he convinced himself. Otherwise he wouldn't be here, taking the most immense of risks to be with her, to spend time with her and to get to know her better. He pulled on his jacket, picked up the smaller of his bags which contained all he needed for an overnight stay with his lover and left the suite, determined to put the last fifteen minutes out of his mind.

Katherine rushed about the apartment making sure that all was ready for his arrival. She quickly glanced at her reflection in the hall mirror as she awaited his arrival. Her cheeks were already flushed, partly from her haste but partly from the excitement she was feeling at the prospect of three nights all alone with him

. Her stomach lurched as she heard him knock.

Opening the door, he almost looked bashful as he waited for her to invite him in. "Well hello" he greeted her as she waved for him to come in. "Welcome" she told him as he walked into the hallway. She gestured to the door to the living room. "It's not the biggest of apartments" she informed him shyly as he entered. "However, it does have great views and it was spacious enough for me on my own."

"It's very nice" he answered, moving to the window, noting as he did so the obvious femininity of the interior décor and furnishings. "You have very good taste but then I always knew that, didn't I?" She smiled at the flirtatious nature of the comment, feeling slightly more at ease but not completely comfortable with the newness of their situation.

She took his overnight bag from him and deposited it in the bedroom while he looked out of the window. Returning to the living room door she paused to watch him. He was wearing a dark navy suit, white shirt and toning tie. Only his cowboy boots marked him out from any other wealthy New Yorker doing business in the city. As he gazed at the view she noted that he was, in fact, physically very attractive, at least to her. He wasn't conventionally handsome like his brother but there was something about him, a presence, a complete confidence in himself that drew her to him. She wondered whether this was what had attracted so many women to him in the past not least the former Miss Texas who had succeeded not once, but twice, in luring him down the aisle.

Her thoughts turned to his wife. Sue Ellen Ewing had a troubled past, that much she knew. However, from all that Pamela had told her when the two of them had been on decent terms, there was no doubt that she loved JR, perhaps more than was good for her. Having escaped from him once, with a handsome divorce settlement in hand and with the looks that could attract pretty much any other rich suitor she wanted, she had come back for more. The results had been disastrous and yet Sue Ellen still clung on, no doubt to the hope that one day her husband would be a changed man, a good and faithful husband at long last.

Pulling herself together rapidly she offered him a drink. He accepted the flute of champagne readily but it was evident that he had other things on his mind. "Before I take you to dinner, let's say hello properly. It's been a long time since we last saw each other" he demanded, pulling her into his arms before kissing her deeply.

"Are we going out?" she asked as their kiss broke naturally. "I mean I can cook dinner for us here." "Are you more comfortable with that?" he asked. "For our first night together, yes" she responded. "Are you afraid we will be seen?" he asked. She paused before answering although her expression spoke volumes. "Don't be. I have everything covered, honey. I've even left my Stetson behind. Nobody will know ole JR here. That said, though, a cosy home-cooked dinner sure would be nice and then afterwards…."

Tbc


	7. Chapter 7

Katherine served dinner somewhat nervously. She hadn't cooked in a while, her circumstances in Dallas forcing her to eat out or order room service. The skills she had been taught as part of a proper young lady's upbringing were now rather rusty, she reflected, although there was something quite satisfying about preparing a meal from scratch. JR smiled at her expectantly, sipping champagne and staring idly from time to time out of the window at the busy street below.

She gestured for him to sit down at the table which she had decorated with a pretty arrangement from one of the city's finest florists and a scattering of tea lights in variously different coloured Venetian glass holders.

"I hope it's alright" she announced anxiously. "It's been a while since I entertained here." JR didn't respond. The truth was he didn't care whether Katherine could cook or not. Domestic skills had always been an irrelevance when it came to the women in his life and that certainly wasn't what had attracted him to this particular woman. He lifted the crystal decanter and poured them a glass of red wine, certain that she would have selected a decent vintage. Holding his glass aloft he made a toast. "Here's to us and the next three nights together!" She clinked her glass gently against his, feeling a mixture of exhilaration and trepidation. How had they come to this, she wondered as she watched him take his first bite.

"Delicious" he announced as his knife cut through the roast lamb she had made as if slicing through butter. She breathed a sigh of relief and began to tuck in herself, recalling that she hadn't eaten anything that day, too wound up with nervous anticipation to succumb to hunger.

As she relaxed conversation between them began to flow. It started where it usually started- business- but then descended into other more profound topics. "Did you feel loved as a child, Katherine?" JR asked. She sighed. "Very much so. My father doted on me and my mother was caring and affectionate too. There was always something about her though that I couldn't quite figure out, a secret that she was keeping, something missing from her life that caused her inner turmoil. It's only been recently that I came to understand that, no matter how much she loved me, I couldn't replace the two children that she had lost."

"Walked away from you mean?" JR interjected bluntly. Katherine nodded sadly. "Yes, that's true." "Did your father know about Cliff and Pam?" he asked, keen to know more. "I imagine so. My father didn't get where he was without knowing everything that was going on around him." "Do you think he would have stopped your mother from trying to trace them?" Katherine shook her head firmly. "Never. My mother meant the world to him. He wouldn't have done anything to make her unhappy. No, I firmly believe that it was her choice. I've also wondered if Pam hadn't turned up on her doorstep that day whether she would ever have decided to find them?"

"You've been through a lot, Katherine" JR eventually responded "but you've come through it even stronger than you were before. You should be proud of yourself." "I couldn't have done it without you" she told him. "Nonsense! You would have found the way all by yourself in the end. All I did was help you to accelerate the process."

She smiled at him shyly, unconvinced but flattered by his compliments. "So, what about you? Why did your daddy not just leave the company to you? You were the Vice-President and the one responsible for all its recent successes. Why did he put you in competition with Bobby?"

JR smiled ruefully. "Bobby was always daddy's favourite. There was a time when he placed him in charge, while I was recovering from having been shot. Bobby started off well but then he lost his grip and started to make rash and ill-considered decisions. I reckon it almost killed daddy to have to hand the reins back to me. I guess this was him affording my little brother a second chance to show what he's made of."

Katherine shook her head. "Were you responsible for Bobby's failure at running Ewing Oil?" she asked, already knowing the answer deep down. JR chuckled wickedly. "I might have been…You see, honey, that company means so much to me, just like your daddy's means to you, and I was never going to give it up without a fight." "Bobby can't beat you, though, can he? It's about the most uneven contest one could imagine." JR laughed. "I hope so, Katherine, because I'll take the company down before I let my little brother become President. Ewing Oil is my boy's birth-right."

Katherine got up and began wordlessly to clear their plates away. The vociferous way that JR had spoken about his son had been sobering in the extreme. It wasn't Sue Ellen that she had to be afraid of, it was the prospect of JR losing his little boy that was the real threat to them having a life together. She had known that all along, deep down, but his words just then and the way he had spoken them confirmed it for her.

"Katherine?" he asked. "Are you alright, honey?" "Yes, of course" she answered, fighting back the tears and attempting to sound cheerful. "Dessert?" JR entered the kitchen and put his arms around her. "What is it? What's wrong?" he asked anxiously. "It's not your fault, JR, but what you just said, about John Ross. It hit home. I mean, what are we really doing here?"

JR stared into her eyes. "I don't know, Katherine. All I know is that I want to be with you, to get to know you properly. I'm not going to lie. There will be difficult decisions to be taken if things go the way that I anticipate between us. I can't give you any guarantees but I want to try to make things work."

"You won't risk losing your son, though. I get that. I'm in too deep already, JR, and it scares me." He took hold of her hand. "Let's worry about that another day. You know me. I always come up with a plan. Now, I do want dessert but not that pie that you've taken from the refrigerator, although it does look very tasty. I want you. Come on, sugar. Let's forget about our problems just for a little while and have some fun?"

She knew she should show him the door and tell him to go back home, to his wife and child, but she couldn't. She was under his spell, in his thrall, powerless to resist as she let him lead her to the bedroom.

Tbc


	8. Chapter 8

JR woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. For a split second he didn't know where he was until the memory of the previous night came to him. He smiled to himself as he recalled the wild abandon with which he and Katherine had made love, all feelings of guilt and uncertainty temporarily banished in the heat of their passion.

He pulled on his boxer shorts and wandered through to the kitchen. "Good morning" she greeted him, passing him a cup of coffee. "Breakfast is almost ready." He sat at the table and watched her. Her hair was tousled and her face was free of make-up but she looked radiantly beautiful, he decided as he sipped the hot coffee.

As she leaned across him to pour the orange juice he was alarmed. Her robe fell open just sufficiently for him to observe the marks he had left on her lower neck and chest. Dark purple petechiae were scattered lividly against her ivory skin, making him feel immediately ashamed of himself.

She caught his gaze. "Honey, I'm sorry. I guess I got carried away" he told her bashfully. She smiled at him. "No need to apologise. I loved every minute of it. You don't have to worry about being rough with me, JR. It's something I happen to enjoy." "But look at the state of you! Don't you have a meeting this morning?" he asked anxiously. She nodded. "I can cover this up easily enough with make-up" she replied, untroubled.

"Speaking of which, how long do you expect to be?" he asked. "Oh, not that long. I should be back for lunch time. Do you want to meet somewhere? It's a lovely day. I thought we could take a walk in the park afterwards." JR nodded. "Sounds like a plan, sugar. Shall I just wait here for you?" "Why don't you go out and have a wander? You could take in a gallery. MOMA is only ten minutes' walk from here."

"Perhaps" he answered, suddenly feeling somewhat at sea in such an unfamiliar city. She handed him a plate of bacon and eggs and then retreated to the bedroom to get ready while he tucked in hungrily. He had certainly worked up an appetite, he mused as he buttered a piece of toast to go with his breakfast.

Afterwards he flicked through the pages of the New York Times finding little to attract his interest before settling on looking through the window instead. It was a lovely day, the early autumn haze gradually clearing and the temperature growing warmer by the minute as the sun took hold.

Eventually, she emerged wearing a fitted, black skirt suit and white silk blouse, looking every inch the successful businesswoman that she now was. "Well?" she asked "will I do?" "Oh yes, Katherine" he told her, grasping her by her waist and moving in for a kiss. "There's plenty of time for that later" she scolded him, pecking him lightly on the lips so as not to disturb her make-up before picking up her keys and her purse and leaving.

JR wandered around the apartment, pausing from time to time to look at the framed photographs that were dotted around the place. He smiled as he came across her graduation photograph. "Yale University. What a clever girl" he murmured as he gazed at the picture of the proud young woman wearing her mortar board and gown. She wasn't as sophisticated in appearance in those days but her natural beauty shone through and her smile was full of excitement and promise for the future, JR pondered.

His thoughts then turned to his wife. Sue Ellen was far from stupid, he reminded himself, but she lacked the drive and ambition that Katherine had, preferring to settle for a comfortable, married life in which she never had to worry about where the next dollar was coming from. Apart from their dark- haired beauty Sue Ellen and Katherine had absolutely nothing in common, he thought as he placed the photograph gently back on the shelf.

Unbeknown to him however, back in Dallas, Sue Ellen had galvanised herself into action. As JR mooched around his lover's apartment his wife was sitting in the office of the divorce attorney who had represented her so successfully before. "I need to know my rights, Charles" she began before listening intently to what the lawyer had to say. When they were done she stood and shook his hand. "So, basically, if I get the proof, JR hasn't a leg to stand on where our son is concerned?" she asked as she made to leave. "That's the size of it, Sue Ellen" Charles told her. "Do you need the name of a good private investigator?" Before she could respond he thrust a card into her hand. "Best in the business for this kind of thing" he told her before guiding her out through his office door and escorting her to the elevator.

Now what to do? She wondered as the elevator started its descent. Thus far, JR hadn't stepped a foot out of line. She had checked his booking at The Essex House to find he was indeed registered as a guest there. Then she had called the conference centre to be told that her husband had booked a place at the convention. Penetrating the layers of his deceit wasn't going to be easy even for the most experienced of detectives, she thought to herself. If only she knew who his mistress was? That would make things so much more straightforward, she determined.

As she emerged into the early autumn sunlight she wracked her brains once more for the identity of the woman that JR was seeing. Drawing a complete blank, she concluded that it could be pretty much any beautiful woman of a certain age in Dallas. He could have met her any time and anywhere, she mused despondently.

Suddenly, as she turned the corner to where her car was parked she heard a familiar voice. "Sue Ellen? Hi!" She spun round to see Cliff Barnes, her former lover, the man whom she had almost driven to suicide when she had chosen JR over him. "Hello, Cliff, how are you?" she greeted him politely. "I'm just fine thanks. And you? What brings you to this district?"

"Private business" she replied coolly. Cliff was the last person she wanted to share her misery with, she resolved. "And you?" Cliff sighed. "I've been at the Wentworth Building attempting to see my adorable little sister, Katherine. However, she's out of town apparently so I've had a wasted journey."

"Where?" Sue Ellen asked, almost dreading the answer. "New York" Cliff responded.

Tbc


	9. Chapter 9

**I have tagged a new chapter 9 onto the end of this owing to problems with the site in the last two days. Hope it is fixed soon : )**

JR woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. For a split second he didn't know where he was until the memory of the previous night came to him. He smiled to himself as he recalled the wild abandon with which he and Katherine had made love, all feelings of guilt and uncertainty temporarily banished in the heat of their passion.

He pulled on his boxer shorts and wandered through to the kitchen. "Good morning" she greeted him, passing him a cup of coffee. "Breakfast is almost ready." He sat at the table and watched her. Her hair was tousled and her face was free of make-up but she looked radiantly beautiful, he decided as he sipped the hot coffee.

As she leaned across him to pour the orange juice he was alarmed. Her robe fell open just sufficiently for him to observe the marks he had left on her lower neck and chest. Dark purple petechiae were scattered lividly against her ivory skin, making him feel immediately ashamed of himself.

She caught his gaze. "Honey, I'm sorry. I guess I got carried away" he told her bashfully. She smiled at him. "No need to apologise. I loved every minute of it. You don't have to worry about being rough with me, JR. It's something I happen to enjoy." "But look at the state of you! Don't you have a meeting this morning?" he asked anxiously. She nodded. "I can cover this up easily enough with make-up" she replied, untroubled.

"Speaking of which, how long do you expect to be?" he asked. "Oh, not that long. I should be back for lunch time. Do you want to meet somewhere? It's a lovely day. I thought we could take a walk in the park afterwards." JR nodded. "Sounds like a plan, sugar. Shall I just wait here for you?" "Why don't you go out and have a wander? You could take in a gallery. MOMA is only ten minutes' walk from here."

"Perhaps" he answered, suddenly feeling somewhat at sea in such an unfamiliar city. She handed him a plate of bacon and eggs and then retreated to the bedroom to get ready while he tucked in hungrily. He had certainly worked up an appetite, he mused as he buttered a piece of toast to go with his breakfast.

Afterwards he flicked through the pages of the New York Times finding little to attract his interest before settling on looking through the window instead. It was a lovely day, the early autumn haze gradually clearing and the temperature growing warmer by the minute as the sun took hold.

Eventually, she emerged wearing a fitted, black skirt suit and white silk blouse, looking every inch the successful businesswoman that she now was. "Well?" she asked "will I do?" "Oh yes, Katherine" he told her, grasping her by her waist and moving in for a kiss. "There's plenty of time for that later" she scolded him, pecking him lightly on the lips so as not to disturb her make-up before picking up her keys and her purse and leaving.

JR wandered around the apartment, pausing from time to time to look at the framed photographs that were dotted around the place. He smiled as he came across her graduation photograph. "Yale University. What a clever girl" he murmured as he gazed at the picture of the proud young woman wearing her mortar board and gown. She wasn't as sophisticated in appearance in those days but her natural beauty shone through and her smile was full of excitement and promise for the future, JR pondered.

His thoughts then turned to his wife. Sue Ellen was far from stupid, he reminded himself, but she lacked the drive and ambition that Katherine had, preferring to settle for a comfortable, married life in which she never had to worry about where the next dollar was coming from. Apart from their dark- haired beauty Sue Ellen and Katherine had absolutely nothing in common, he thought as he placed the photograph gently back on the shelf.

Unbeknown to him however, back in Dallas, Sue Ellen had galvanised herself into action. As JR mooched around his lover's apartment his wife was sitting in the office of the divorce attorney who had represented her so successfully before. "I need to know my rights, Charles" she began before listening intently to what the lawyer had to say. When they were done she stood and shook his hand. "So, basically, if I get the proof, JR hasn't a leg to stand on where our son is concerned?" she asked as she made to leave. "That's the size of it, Sue Ellen" Charles told her. "Do you need the name of a good private investigator?" Before she could respond he thrust a card into her hand. "Best in the business for this kind of thing" he told her before guiding her out through his office door and escorting her to the elevator.

Now what to do? She wondered as the elevator started its descent. Thus far, JR hadn't stepped a foot out of line. She had checked his booking at The Essex House to find he was indeed registered as a guest there. Then she had called the conference centre to be told that her husband had booked a place at the convention. Penetrating the layers of his deceit wasn't going to be easy even for the most experienced of detectives, she thought to herself. If only she knew who his mistress was? That would make things so much more straightforward, she determined.

As she emerged into the early autumn sunlight she wracked her brains once more for the identity of the woman that JR was seeing. Drawing a complete blank, she concluded that it could be pretty much any beautiful woman of a certain age in Dallas. He could have met her any time and anywhere, she mused despondently.

Suddenly, as she turned the corner to where her car was parked she heard a familiar voice. "Sue Ellen? Hi!" She spun round to see Cliff Barnes, her former lover, the man whom she had almost driven to suicide when she had chosen JR over him. "Hello, Cliff, how are you?" she greeted him politely. "I'm just fine thanks. And you? What brings you to this district?"

"Private business" she replied coolly. Cliff was the last person she wanted to share her misery with, she resolved. "And you?" Cliff sighed. "I've been at the Wentworth Building attempting to see my adorable little sister, Katherine. However, she's out of town apparently so I've had a wasted journey."

"Where?" Sue Ellen asked, almost dreading the answer. "New York" Cliff responded.

Tbc

Chapter 9

"Good morning, Mrs Ewing. It didn't take long for my men to get what was needed. Please, sit down." Sue Ellen did as she was invited. She felt shaky, a little nauseous even before she reminded herself that this was nothing new. She had been in this situation a number of times before. This time, however, she sensed that things were different, more serious and much more threatening.

"Can I get you some coffee? Tea perhaps?" the man asked solicitously. Over the years he had become accustomed to the task he now faced. Some of his clients made it easier than others, those who wanted out of bad marriages to wealthy husbands on the best possible terms and simply needed the necessary leverage, for example. They received the "bad news" of their husbands' infidelity, sometimes accompanied by other forms of debauchery, with relief and, in many cases, glee.

However, the woman sitting in front of him wasn't one of those clients. He knew that she needed the evidence that he was about to deliver, no doubt to protect herself from her husband, a man not only of immense power and wealth but notoriety when it came to dealing with anyone who dared to cross him, but there was no relish in the way that she conducted herself. Mrs Sue Ellen Ewing wore an expression of worry and sadness, giving the clearest of impressions that she wished none of this was happening.

Sue Ellen shook her head. "No thank you, I'd just rather get this over and done with" she replied, an air of resignation about her tone. He took a large envelope out of his filing cabinet and began to open it. First, he took out a neatly typed report followed by a set of large, coloured photographs. Sue Ellen took a deep breath. She knew the general content of what she was about to be shown. It was the detail that dreaded her.

It hadn't taken her more than a moment after her chance encounter with Cliff to decide what to do. The business card of the investigator that her attorney had recommended to her was still in her pocket, where she had thrust it on her way down from their consultation, confused, reeling from the directness of the advice that she had just received. Past history and survival instinct had told her what to do though. She had to strike while the iron was hot. From leaving Cliff, feeling slightly guilty about the curt manner that she had adopted towards him, she had gone straight down the street and issued her instructions- find Katherine Wentworth in New York and she will lead you to JR Ewing.

"Shall I summarise the report to you first?" the investigator asked, hoping that it would soften the blow for what would follow. Sue Ellen nodded. "Well, I'm sorry to have to tell you this but the last two days' surveillance have revealed that Mr Ewing has been staying at Miss Wentworth's apartment continuously save for periods of up to half an hour early evening when he has returned to his hotel."

"Let me guess? Around five thirty?" Sue Ellen asked sadly. The man nodded sanguinely and then paused for Sue Ellen to collect her thoughts. Each evening that he had been away JR had faithfully telephoned home just before dinner, just at the right time, in his mind, to convince her that he was back in his suite after a monotonous day spent listening to all manner of speakers at the convention.

He kept the conversation bright and breezy, enquiring about her day and how John Ross and the rest of the family were and, at her end, she did the same, never once betraying the agony she felt. As the conversations neared their close she would try to needle him by telling him how much she and their son were missing him and how they couldn't wait for Friday evening when he would be home. Falteringly and without conviction JR returned the sentiments before hurriedly bringing the call to an end on the pretext that he was due to leave for a networking dinner associated with the event. Each time Sue Ellen signed off with the words that she hoped would drive a dagger through his heart. "I love you, JR" she told him before ringing off, sparing herself the torment of a lack of response on his part, or worse, pained and insincere reciprocity.

Pulling herself together she asked for further details of how her husband and Miss Wentworth had been spending their days. "Both mornings Miss Wentworth has left the apartment building on her own. She has been dressed for some sort of business meeting. Your husband would then emerge several minutes later and take a walk. Yesterday morning he visited a large toy shop and came out laden with bags, presumably gifts for your son. Then he walked to Fifth Avenue and visited Bulgari. My operative couldn't see what he bought but he left with a gift bag in his hand and the assistant who served him had a very big smile on her face as she showed him to the door. You don't need me to tell you what kind of establishment that is, Mrs Ewing, do you?" Sue Ellen shook her head and sighed.

"In the afternoons Mr Ewing and Miss Wentworth would meet up at a local deli for lunch. Afterwards they would take a walk, usually in Central Park, before returning to her apartment. Yesterday evening they went out for dinner, nowhere that fancy, just a small trattoria close by. The night before they stayed in. We have kept the place under continuous surveillance and I'm afraid to say that we are satisfied that your husband did not leave to go back to his hotel at any point over the last two nights…"

Sue Ellen waved her hand, dismissing any further explanation. She had heard enough. "The photographs please?" she asked. The man handed the pictures over. "Excuse me for a few minutes. I just need to speak to my secretary" he told her, experience having taught him that the utmost discretion was required at that point.

Sue Ellen nodded. Hands shaking, she quickly flipped through the set of pictures, her stomach lurching as she did so. Having taken the first agonising step, she returned to the beginning to take a closer look. The first few were of JR and Katherine sitting in the window of a small deli, gazing into each other's eyes, both smiling warmly at the other. In the final photograph in the sequence he was touching her cheek gently with the palm of his hand, her hand covering his affectionately in turn. He used to do that to me, Sue Ellen reflected sadly, although not for some time.

The photographs of the couple enjoying lunch were followed by a set portraying them on their walk through the park. Sue Ellen was immediately struck by the fact that JR was either holding Katherine's hand or they were arm in arm as they strolled along. She noted also that they were almost continuously smiling or laughing, genuinely happy to be in each other's company, not caring about displaying affection towards each other in such a busy and public place.

As she turned to the final few in the set a wave of sickness washed over her. JR had Katherine pushed up against a tree, kissing her, deeply and passionately, their hands entwined tightly by her side, completely engrossed in each other. She recoiled, disgusted and then fearful. This is love not just an affair, she concluded, her worst fears completely confirmed as she fought back her tears.

Tbc


	10. Chapter 10

JR and Katherine strolled back to her apartment from the exclusive yet discreet restaurant where they had eaten dinner on their last night together. She had refused the offer of a cab notwithstanding the vertiginous heels she was wearing together with the closely fitting black shift dress that was designed to accentuate her every curve but, at the same time, had the effect of restricting her movement.

She wanted to talk but knew that a quick return journey to her apartment by taxi was hardly likely to permit the same to occur. Once back inside there was no chance of any discussion between them, she calculated. JR would have her in bed in no time flat and she realised that she wouldn't have the first chance of resisting him.

She shivered slightly in the cool early autumn air. JR pulled her in to him for warmth, his arm around her shoulder, their hips joined as they walked. "Have you had a good time?" she asked, breaking the silence between them. "I sure have, honey" he answered although she detected a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Tomorrow you go home, to Southfork, to Sue Ellen and John Ross" she continued, determined to continue what she had started. "Let's not talk about that now, Katherine" he responded quickly. "Let's just enjoy the rest of the evening and the night together." Part of her was tempted to heed his advice, live in the present and allow the future to wait. However, she appreciated that would only be prolonging the agony for her. She had to know if he had reached a decision, if their time together had supplied him with the answer that she craved to hear.

"No, JR, I'm sorry I can't. These last few days have been wonderful but tomorrow they come to an end and I think I deserve to know where I stand." JR sighed. "I know but it's complicated isn't it?" He stopped walking causing her to do the same before placing his hands on her shoulders. "I do love you, honey. I'm more confident about that than ever now, but it's complicated. I need time to figure out a plan for us to be together and that involves a number of considerations. I'm working on it. You just have to trust me."

"I wonder how many mistresses in my position have heard those words?" she countered. Her tone was resigned, however, not angry. JR grasped her hands in his. "Katherine, I mean it! I've never felt this way about any other woman and, believe me, there have been plenty. I wish I were you- unattached and free to do whatever you like, but I'm not. If I tell Sue Ellen it's over, and one of these days I will, I have to be certain, for example, that she will be strong enough to accept it. I can't have her turn to the drink again. My family would never forgive me but, more important than that, there's John Ross to think of. He adores his mama and he needs her."

Katherine instantaneously felt guilty. "I'm sorry. I should have thought about that. I wouldn't want that either…" JR pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "It's alright darlin. We are going to be together, I promise. You are going to be my wife and I'm going to give you a baby, more than one perhaps, that's if you want to."

His words took her breath away, hope once more triumphing over reality, the thought of them living together, creating a family, an empire even, too wonderful a prospect for her to reject. "Yes, JR!" she exclaimed before kissing him back, this time even more deeply than before, desperate to believe that what he had said would come true.

Almost falling through the door of her apartment, they made straight for the bedroom, their cares temporarily banished in the heat of their passion for each other. JR threw his jacket over the back of the chair before deftly unzipping Katherine's dress and easing it down to the floor. In turn she hastily undid his tie and ripped at his shirt causing several buttons to fly before setting to work on his pants.

Conscious that in their lust for each other she might leave her mark on him, JR threw her roughly down on the bed and restrained her with the weight of his body before removing her silk stockings and using them to tie her wrists to the bed. Katherine's eyes sparkled with excitement in the lamplight. "Is that what you want?" she asked, breathless and flushed with arousal. JR nodded and smiled wickedly. "You always give me what I want, don't you, darlin? That's one of the reasons that I love you."

When she woke the following morning, she found him already dressed and packing his bag. She sat up stiffly, recalling the things they had done together before they had fallen asleep in each other's arms, exhausted yet satisfied. She inspected her wrists noting the slender red wheals around their circumference, evidencing his dominance and her all too willing submissiveness.

She watched as he finished what he was doing. He looked up and smiled awkwardly at her, knowing what was to come next. "I have to go, Katherine. I need to check out of the hotel and get to the airport. I'm sorry honey." She pushed her hair away from her face and shrugged her shoulders. "Of course you do, JR. When can I expect to see you again?" she asked despondently. "Next week some time. I'll call you from the office on Monday."

He stooped to kiss her. "You're amazing. You do know that, don't you?" She nodded. "Yes I do" she replied, attempting to sound bright and to hold back her tears at the same time. "Do you want a quick coffee?" JR shook his head. The truth was that he could have taken another ten minutes to be with her but he knew that would almost certainly make matters more difficult for them both. "I'm sorry. I have to go. I have had the most marvellous time. Thank you, Katherine" he responded before bending to kiss her for a final time. "JR?" she asked as he made for the door. "I love you." "I love you too. There's a little thank you gift in the living room for you. I hope you like it."

As she heard the front door open and then close behind him Katherine buried her face in the pillow and wept.

Tbc


	11. Chapter 11

Sue Ellen heard the familiar sound of JR's Mercedes pulling into the driveway. Her stomach lurched at the thought that in just a couple of minutes she would see him. Over the last twenty- four hours she had alternated between angry confrontation followed by her relocating to another bedroom, only for the time being, and saying nothing, biding her time, playing the long game. In the end, she had chosen the latter. By now she knew JR and his methods. She had to back him into a corner from which he could not escape if she was to leave Southfork and take their son with her. In the interim, however, there was no harm in making him feel as uncomfortable as possible, she resolved.

The temptation to take a drink had been stronger than ever before. Every time she recalled the content of the photographs taken by the private investigator she had felt like reaching for the bottle. Instead, however, her focus this time had been on future survival. Loss of sobriety just wasn't an option she had decided. She had to claim the moral high ground and keep herself there come what may.

As he got out of the car JR was astonished by how nervous he felt. Historically he would saunter into the house and engage his wife in pleasant yet anodyne conversation as if nothing at all were amiss. This time it was different. He hadn't betrayed Sue Ellen for a casual one- night stand, meaning nothing more than the physical release it had temporarily provided. Katherine was an altogether different prospect. He had spent three days and nights with her, getting to know her, understanding her, realising how much they had in common. He was in deep and felt it.

He walked upstairs pausing by his son's bedroom to deliver the slew of gifts that he had brought back for him. There was something for Christopher too, not wanting the youngster to feel left out. The two boys happily opened their packages with the promise that they would not be late getting ready for dinner.

As he approached the bedroom an icy grip took hold of his heart. He put his hand on the doorknob and breathed out heavily in an attempt to pull himself together. He entered to find her where she always was at that time, sitting at her dressing table applying her make-up and making the last finishing touches to her hair. He breathed a sigh of relief at the apparent normality of the situation.

"Hello darlin" he greeted her. She turned towards his voice and smiled. "You're back, good. I was afraid you'd miss dinner." "We were slightly delayed" he explained. "All the take-off slots had to be pushed back due to some sort of tedious technical problem. I'll get changed quickly."

She watched him retreat into the dressing room. Time to make him squirm, she thought. She waited for a few moments and then followed. Slipping her robe from her shoulders she allowed it to fall to the floor. He watched as she entered, wearing now only a cream silk camisole and matching French panties. She smiled as she squeezed past him ostensibly to reach for her dress. She slipped into the garment as he did his tie, never once taking his eyes off her. "Can you please?" she asked, indicating the zipper at the back.

Before he could respond she backed herself closely up against him giving him no choice. His hands fumbled as he did her up, noting as he did so her unique fragrance and the way that her hair shone and her skin shimmered in the light. He cursed himself silently for still finding her alluring but didn't resist as she turned to face him and delivered a gentle kiss to his lips. "Thank you" she told him. "I missed you, JR." She moved even closer on the pretext of adjusting his tie and was surprised to find that he was already aroused by her. "Maybe later" she teased him "if you're not too tired from your trip and you still want to."

Slipping on her heels, giving him no opportunity to reply, she glanced at her watch. "Gosh, is that the time? We'd better go down. Miss Ellie doesn't like to be kept waiting."

As he descended the stairs behind her he was thoroughly confused. If he was in love with Katherine why did Sue Ellen still have the effect on him that he had just experienced? Guilt would not have produced the involuntary physical response that had instantaneously accompanied her touch. Could he love two women at the same time, he wondered anxiously or was it like the last time that he and his wife had lived apart when the prospect of her being with other men, Cliff in particular, had half killed him?

As they entered the living room his thoughts turned to that very prospect. Sue Ellen was a beautiful woman. She was also independently wealthy having had next to no time to spend the substantial divorce settlement that she had received from him the first time, not to speak of what he would have to pay her on this occasion. Men would flock round her, of that he was certain. She would move on, re-marry and make a new life for herself. Whoever she made it with would inevitably play a part in his son's upbringing, no matter what the custody arrangements might be. His stomach lurched and he felt slightly queasy as he contemplated the possibility of her having other children. It hadn't been that long ago that he had hoped for another child with her but his vanity and stupidity had put paid to that when she had withdrawn from his bedroom over his affair with the Harwood woman. Now that relations had been restored between them….

He forced the thought from his head and took a large swig of his drink. Any future children that he fathered would be his and Katherine's, he determined. As for Sue Ellen's future, there was effectively nothing that he could do. He would just have to tolerate whatever lay in store for her, irrespective of what that might be.

He looked around the room and suddenly made eye contact with her. She flashed a smile at him, that smile, the one that had reeled him in all those years ago convincing him that, finally, he had met "the one." He smiled back shyly, disgusted by his deception and ashamed by her trust.

As they took their seats he had no appetite for dinner, a fact that did not go unnoticed by his wife. Afterwards she would turn the heat up further, she decided. If this was the end she would see JR suffer. That much she deserved.

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	12. Chapter 12

JR pushed his food around the plate, a fact not unnoticed by his wife whose own appetite wasn't much better albeit that she was more adept at concealment "I hope you're not sickening for something, JR?" Sue Ellen asked pointedly. "Uh, no, I'm just fine, thank you, darlin" he responded. Only she could detect the irritation, or was it defensiveness, in his tone. She warned herself to be more sparing in her jibes. JR was no fool and she didn't want him to realise that she knew exactly what was troubling him, at least not yet.

In New York Katherine was getting ready. She had been asked out for cocktails by one of her old college friends who had heard she was back in town. Initially she had declined the invitation feeling too low to contemplate an evening out. It was when she had opened JR's gift to her that she had brightened sufficiently to call her friend back to tell her she had changed her mind. As she slipped on her shoes and inspected the content of her clutch bag she glanced over to the windowsill. Her graduation photograph was no longer in its original college frame. Instead, it was graced by a solid, silver Tiffany photo-frame on the back of which the words "Clever Girl" had been intricately engraved. She smiled to herself as she put on her coat and left. JR did love her. All she had to do was trust him and wait.

Shortly after dinner was over Sue Ellen excused herself for bed. "I'll be up soon" JR commented, pouring himself a stiff bourbon. He retreated to the den watched by his wife from halfway up the stairs. Stopping by her son's bedroom, a wave of sadness washed over her as she watched John Ross snuggle down into bed and it dawned on her that none of this was destined to last much longer. "I'm glad daddy's home, mama" her son told her, closing his eyes. She didn't respond as she kissed him and pulled the duvet over him properly.

JR waited for a few minutes before picking up the telephone. He hurriedly dialled the number that he had committed to memory a few days earlier and waited. There was no answer. He dialled again and still received no response. Where was she, he worried. He needed to speak to her, to hear her voice again, to settle him and quell the mixed feelings he was now experiencing. He slammed the receiver down impatiently and drained his glass before re-filling it and heading upstairs.

As he entered the bedroom he found Sue Ellen sitting up in bed reading. She looked up at him as he removed his jacket and loosened his tie. "Is everything alright?" she asked. "I'm just tired, that's all" he replied, his emotions in turmoil. "John Ross is very pleased to have you home" she told him before returning to her reading. "What do you want to do this weekend?" JR asked. Sue Ellen put her book down before responding. "The weather forecast is good so I thought we would have a normal weekend at home, sitting out and relaxing while the children play in the pool." "Fine by me, honey" he replied as he entered the dressing room.

Sue Ellen sighed. If only he knew what had influenced her choice of weekend activity, she reflected. Family time at Southfork had been the norm every weekend for as long as she had known JR. The fact that it was going to come to an end all too soon saddened her. It also made her feel anxious about her own future. Whatever happened, weekends with John Ross were bound to be shared between them. Bleak, sterile loneliness without her boy once a fortnight beckoned and it scared her.

In the dressing room JR rummaged through his bags. Finding what he had been looking for he was immediately torn. Guilt followed. How much longer could he realistically keep this up, he asked himself as he buttoned his pyjamas. If only he could have heard Katherine's voice, reassuring him that all remained well between them, he might have felt better, stronger, more able to maintain the deceit.

As he came back into the bedroom Sue Ellen was reaching over to switch off her bedside lamp. He watched her, still in awe of her beauty after all these years, incredulous in many ways that she had never proved to be enough for him when, to many others, she would be that and more.

"Darlin?" She turned to face him as he handed her a beautifully wrapped gift box. Her struggled to keep her hands from shaking as she received it, immediately noting from the ribbon tied around it where it came from. She looked at him quizzically. "A little present from New York" he told her shyly.

He watched as she discarded the wrapping and opened the box. Inside was a pair of citrine and diamond drop earrings in the inimitable style of the maker, Bulgari. She stared at them and said nothing. "Don't you like them?" he asked hesitantly. "They're exquisite, JR" she answered quietly, running her fingers over the subtle yellow central stones, unsure of what else to say in case she burst into tears and gave the game away.

He sat down on the bed beside her. "Are you sure?" he enquired, confused by the muteness of her response. "Yes, of course, but they must have cost you a fortune. I'm not complaining but aren't they a little too much for three nights away?" He shook his head. "You deserve them, honey. I know I don't often tell you but I do appreciate all that you've put up with being married to me."

"Thank you. I'll always treasure them" she managed to utter in reply, tears stinging the back of her eyes at the realisation that the earrings were intended as a tacit goodbye. She kissed him gently on the lips, determined not to drop the façade just yet, but was surprised when he kissed her back. Right at that moment, as they wrapped their arms around each other, she loved and hated him in equal measure.

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	13. Chapter 13

JR slipped out of bed and walked slowly to the door not wanting to rouse Sue Ellen. He had been awake for hours, his mind racing, confusion mixed with guilt reigning. He opened and then closed the door noiselessly behind him before making for the stairs. He needed a drink and a stiff one at that. He also needed to hear Katherine's voice.

Sue Ellen turned over in bed and ran her hand over the still warm space next to her. She hadn't slept either. Lying still so as not to disturb JR she had stared at the ceiling followed by the half-light of dawn intruding through the gap left between the curtains, all her thoughts consumed by him, her husband, and his betrayal of her.

How could she have let him make love to her, she asked herself. She hadn't intended to. Leading him on before announcing she was too tired had been the plan but, when it came to it, she had succumbed readily and easily to his advances. Was it narcissism, she asked herself. Did she need to prove to herself that he was still aroused by her? Or was it to prove it to him, to make him realise what he stood to lose if she left? She turned on her back and let out a sigh, the precursor to the tears that began to trickle down her cheeks. How much longer could she keep up the façade, she wondered. How much longer could she refrain from bitter confrontation? She knew what she had to do but she had never anticipated that it would be as difficult as this.

Downstairs JR poured himself a large measure of bourbon and took a swig. He stared at the telephone, unable to make up his mind. What if Katherine did pick up? What would he say if she asked about how he had spent his first evening back home?

He sat down and took another sip, this time smaller than before, the effect of the alcohol already taking hold. What was it about Sue Ellen that he just couldn't resist, he asked himself. He hadn't contemplated any form of intimacy with her but, when it came to it, he just hadn't been able to stop himself. The truth was that he had wanted her, all of her, and she had been only too willing to give herself to him. In the moment what they had done had been as good as ever. It was afterwards…

He stood up and refreshed his drink. He needed to speak to her, he decided, even if that meant him having to lie to her. His hands trembled slightly as he dialled and then waited, impatient to hear her voice.

"Hello?" she answered drowsily. "It's me, Katherine" he greeted her. She leaned over to switch on her bedside lamp and then sat up slowly, the effect of several cocktails on an empty stomach still evident. "Is everything alright?" she asked, suddenly anxious. What if he had rung her to call their relationship off? Had seeing his family again brought him to his senses, she worried.

"I tried to ring you earlier but you didn't pick up" JR began. "I was out" she told him. "Where?" he asked. "I went out for a drink with an old friend. JR, what's wrong?" "Who was it? The person you went out with?" "I just told you, an old friend, someone I went to college with." "Male or female?" he demanded.

"How was your evening?" Katherine asked, annoyed by his tone. "Did Sue Ellen give you a warm welcome home?" "I asked you a question and I think I deserve an answer, Katherine. You should know by now not to mess with me." "My friend's name is Megan. There you go! I've given you your answer, now it's your turn."

"Don't be like that, darlin. Katherine, I called because I needed to hear your voice. I miss you" JR cajoled, desperate to avoid having to respond properly to her. "I miss you too and I've been worried" she answered, her attitude softening ever so slightly. "About what?" "What do you think, JR? That once you got home you'd see Sue Ellen and your little boy and things between you and I would change."

"Nothing's changed. I still want you and to be with you. If you must know it was very hard coming back here after we'd been together. You do understand, though, that I have to try to behave normally, at least for the time being?" he lied.

"Did you kiss her, when you got back?" she asked, anticipating his answer with a sense of dread. "Don't do this, darlin. There's no point" JR obfuscated. "There's every point, JR" she countered. "When are you back? I need to see you." "I fly back tomorrow afternoon but I imagine that Sunday's a family day? Now, tell me. Did you kiss her?"

JR sighed. This had been a bad idea, he reflected sadly. "What are you wearing? Tell me, Katherine. I want to imagine being with you, in your bed, not here." Now it was her turn to sigh. "I'm tired, JR. I need to go back to sleep. This conversation isn't going anywhere." "Don't hang up, please" he begged. "At least let me know when I can expect to see you again?" "I don't know. I'm not sure what the week ahead holds for me. I do know that I have meetings all day Monday. I'll call you at the office, JR."

As he heard her hang up he was tempted to call her straight back but then concluded that it would probably do no good. He poured a final drink, switched off the light and trudged upstairs. As she heard him enter the bedroom and get back into bed Sue Ellen feigned sleep. He leaned over and watched her intently until, finally, the effect of the alcohol lulled him into a fitful, dream-filled sleep.

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	14. Chapter 14

"Mr Ewing, I'm sorry but Miss Wentworth has asked not to be disturbed." Katherine's secretary shifted awkwardly in her seat, conscious of the person that she was addressing but determined not to disobey her boss's instructions.

Katherine had been in meetings continuously since eight thirty that morning. Her secretary knew that her employer was an able and efficient woman but, that morning, there had definitely been something not right with her. She appeared tired and distracted, not as on the ball as she usually was.

JR glanced at his watch. "Does Miss Wentworth not take a break for lunch?" he asked, unused to not getting his own way. "She's working through, sir. Her next meeting is in an hour." JR took out his wallet and placed several one hundred dollar bills on the secretary's desk. "You could just leave your desk for a few minutes, honey. Then it's all my fault and not yours" he told her slyly.

The young woman eyed up the cash hungrily, imagining all the things that she could do with it. "I don't know, Mr Ewing. Miss Wentworth was very specific." JR smiled before placing a couple more bills down on the pile. "It will be our secret, trust me." He smirked as she deftly pocketed the money and left, ostensibly to go to the ladies' room.

JR entered without knocking causing Katherine to look up swiftly from the stack of papers in front of her. "I thought I said…" she began, before realising. "Hello Katherine" JR greeted her. "Your secretary wasn't at her desk." "Is that your excuse for just barging in here?" Katherine asked, her heart pounding at the sight of him, not knowing whether she was pleased to see him or not.

After their call in the early hours of Saturday morning she had felt anxious and unsettled, vacillating between upset and anger, hating the fact that she no longer knew where she stood with him. The fact that he refused to answer what his reunion with Sue Ellen had been like haunted her and with good cause she reckoned. She knew what her rival had meant to JR and she was all too conscious of the trump card that was yet to be played. This might just be a battle that she couldn't win and, if she couldn't win it, then her instinct was to walk away and limit the fallout for herself.

"I brought lunch" JR told her holding up a brown paper bag from one of the best delis in the local area. "I'm not hungry" she answered petulantly "and as you can see I'm very busy, snowed under in fact." "All the more reason why you should eat, darlin. You need to keep your energy up."

Without asking he took a seat opposite her and began to unpack the bag. "Why are you really here, JR?" she asked, watching as he laid out the picnic lunch in front of him. "Why do you think?" He smiled as their eyes met causing her stomach to lurch with excitement. He passed her a bowl of immaculately prepared salad with a small accompanying pot of her favourite dressing.

She accepted the food from him. "Thank you" she responded churlishly, admitting to herself that he knew her better than she imagined. He even knew what she liked to order for lunch these days, she thought. "Eat up" he commanded, opening a parcel containing a thickly sliced ham sandwich and taking a bite.

As she picked up her fork he strained to look at what she had been working on. "What are you doing?" he asked pleasantly, hoping to win her round but unsure that he would given her apparent mood. She stared at the paperwork in front of her and sighed. "It's a tender for a big contract with the Department of Defense" she responded, attempting to appear in control although, in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

"Interesting" JR replied nonchalantly. He could tell from her expression that she was struggling but he had too much respect for her and was too aware of her sense of pride to let her know. "I'm meeting with the board in just under an hour to finalise the terms. It could be a massive deal for Wentworth if we pull it off." "I'm sure you will, Katherine" he told her encouragingly.

He folded the remaining half of his lunch up and placed it back in the bag. "I won't keep you then. I just wanted to see you, Katherine, to let you know that nothing's changed between us." He stood and walked to the door. "I hope to see you again soon when you're less busy, darlin" he told her as he made to open the door.

"JR, wait! Please?" she asked, suddenly riven with self-doubt. She needed him and she needed his help, no matter how much it irritated her to admit it. He took his hand from the doorknob and walked back towards the desk. "Katherine?" he asked, trying his best not to smile.

"I'm out of my depth, JR. Can you help me, please?" she begged. "I'll try" he responded, no longer treating their encounter as a game, conscious of how much this deal meant to her and wanting to be able to assist. "Let me take a look?" he asked as she passed the draft documents to him, relieved and grateful all at once.

She moved to his side to point out the clauses that she was having trouble with. He looked up at her and smiled. "Don't worry, darlin. Together we can figure this out" he reassured her, struggling to keep his lust for her in check as she leaned in closer. "Why don't you pour us both a cup of coffee while I read this properly?" Her closeness was far too distracting for him to concentrate, he recognised.

She left the office and returned a few minutes later with their drinks. "I think I understand this now" he informed her as she passed him a cup. She drew up a chair next to him and listened intently as he spoke. Testing her knowledge of the terms of the document after he was done, he satisfied himself that she was more than ready for the meeting. "Thank you, JR" she told him in the heartfelt way that she had when he had helped her overthrow Pam and Cliff before. "My pleasure" he replied, touching her hand fleetingly and then kissing her gently on the cheek.

"I imagine that I owe you another favour?" she asked as she walked him to the door. "You owe me nothing, Katherine" he answered. "I would love to see you again though. That is, if you want to…" Touched by the apparent genuineness of his tone she lifted her head and kissed him firmly on the lips. "You will, JR."

As he closed the door behind him JR smiled happily. He had her right back where he wanted.

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	15. Chapter 15

JR placed his pen back in its holder and reached for his jacket. It had been over a week since he had visited Katherine at her offices and, since then, he had heard nothing. He had been tempted to call her or just turn up at her hotel but had decided against it for fear of alienating her even further. After all she was right. His life was beset by complications, the majority of them caused by the happy family act he was putting on back at home. Extricating himself was never going to be easy and now the reality was setting in.

He sighed as he straightened his tie ready to go home, contemplating yet another evening of living the lie. Deceit usually came easily to him but now it was different. Sue Ellen had been extremely loving towards him since he got back from New York and each word or gesture of affection from her came with a heavy dose of remorse on his part. At some point he would have to invite her to divorce him but with that came confession, admission of guilt, the choice made that he would rather turn his back on his marriage and family to make a new life with someone else.

He closed his briefcase and picked up his keys. For the first time in his life he was a coward, shirking from the truth in favour of pretending to his wife that all was well. Pretence extended beyond mere words. Sue Ellen remained attractive to him and there were times when he just could not resist her, justifying his actions as maintaining a necessary front, at least for the time being. However, deep down, he knew that it wasn't true. As ever, he could have it all and there was a part of him that was hell bent on taking it. That was until Katherine had started to play it cool with him.

The knock on his door startled him. Everybody had gone for the evening some time ago. He moved cautiously to the door and quickly opened it not knowing who he might find on the other side.

His heart leapt at the sight of her right there in front of him, her beauty as radiant as he remembered it. "Hello, JR. Is it convenient? You look as if you were just about to leave." He held out his arm to gesture to her to enter. "Please come in. I haven't got very long unfortunately…" He paused mid-sentence aware suddenly of his dilemma.

Katherine sighed. "I thought so. I just came to say thank you and give you this." She handed him a bottle which he quickly appreciated was vintage Krug. "What have I done to deserve this?" he asked, inspecting the label, impressed by her impeccable taste. "We landed the deal!" she answered. "I couldn't have handled the tender without your help, JR."

She looked down at her shoes as he stared at her. "Congratulations" he replied eventually. "Although there's no doubt in my mind that you would have managed quite perfectly well all by yourself. This is very generous but you do know that I didn't expect anything from you, don't you?" She nodded before turning towards the door. "I shouldn't keep you any longer. Goodbye JR."

Impulsively he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. "I don't care about being late. I've missed you Katherine, so much, you couldn't begin to understand!" She made a feeble attempt to resist him but realised that she was back under his spell as his lips met hers. Driven by the urgency of his desire for her his hands moved under her jacket to the buttons of her blouse. "Katherine" he murmured. "Not here" she replied breathlessly, breaking away from him abruptly. "Come on honey, you know you want to" he cajoled her, nuzzling the nape of her neck and stroking her back with his fingers causing shivers to run down her spine. She wanted to say no but couldn't. She had longed for this, for him, for so long and there was no going back now.

Back at Southfork Sue Ellen stared at the clock by the side of the bed. For the first time since JR had returned from New York he was late. Her stomach churned as she came to the inevitable conclusion that he was with her.

She chided herself for being such a fool, for allowing herself to believe that this affair was following the usual pattern and had already burned itself out. He had been so kind to her of late and had accepted affection from her descending into intimacy all too readily. How could she be so naïve after all that had happened between them in the past?

She walked to John Ross's bedroom. "Come on, it's dinner time" she told her son who was engrossed in a game with his cousin, Christopher. "Where's daddy?" John Ross asked. Sue Ellen sighed. "He has to work late" she replied sadly. "Grandma won't be pleased" the little boy commented as he and Christopher skipped down the hall towards the stairs.

"I'll be down in just a minute. Tell grandma please?" Sue Ellen asked as she turned on her heels and walked back towards the bedroom. She had to know. Her hand shook slightly as she picked up the telephone receiver and dialled JR's direct line.

Katherine turned her head towards the telephone, distracted from what she and JR were doing. "Forget it" JR told her. "It's nothing." "What if it's your wife?" she asked, re-arranging her clothes quickly. "I can handle Sue Ellen" he answered impatient with lust. "Now, where were we?"

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	16. Chapter 16

Sue Ellen looked up as she heard JR come in. "Good evening" he greeted the family as he took his seat at the table. "I'm sorry I'm late. I completely lost track of time at the office." Bobby stared at him but gave no reply, sure that his brother was just trying to needle him at what was becoming a crucial stage in the contest for Ewing Oil.

"I tried to call you" Sue Ellen told him "but there was no reply." "I bet that was when I went to the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee, darlin" JR answered calmly, accepting the plate of food that Teresa had placed in front of him and starting to eat eagerly.

"We were just talking about the Oil Barons' Ball" Miss Ellie spoke, changing the subject at what was a highly convenient moment for her eldest son. By the way Sue Ellen was looking at him JR sensed trouble. He wasn't ready for that just yet. That was what had convinced him not to travel with Katherine to her hotel to carry on their passionate reunion and to come home instead. It hadn't gone down too well with his mistress albeit she eventually accepted his entreaties of love and promise of a life together in the future before they parted.

"That's come around quickly" JR muttered. "Say, darlin, when you next go shopping can you pick me up a new bow tie?" "Of course, my love" his wife replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice that was only evident to him.

When dinner was over Sue Ellen took John Ross upstairs to settle him down to bed. "Are you coming?" she asked JR from halfway up the staircase. "I'll be up in a few minutes. There's a call I need to make first" he told her.

Entering the den, he closed the door firmly behind him. He had to speak to Katherine to make sure that she was alright, he decided. It had been so good to see her and be with her again. He needed to know that she hadn't returned home angry with him.

"JR, is everything okay?" Katherine asked as she took his call. "Yes, honey, I just needed to hear your voice. Are you alright?" he asked anxiously. "I miss you" she answered seductively. "What are you wearing?" he asked. "Just my robe. You know, the short one? I was about to take a bath." "I wish I was there with you" he told her. "I could wash your back." "You could get in with me and we could get really clean together" she responded, only too aware of the effect she was likely to be having on him. "Soon, Katherine" he assured her, attempting to regulate the state of his arousal. "I sincerely hope so. I need you, JR." She rang off knowing that she was leaving him wanting more. He'd wanted more earlier but common sense had to prevail over his lust for her, she understood that and accepted it now, confident once more that she was back on top where his affections were concerned.

JR waited for a few moments so that the evidence of the effect of their short conversation might subside. Then, when he had regained his composure, he ascended the stairs and entered his son's room. Sue Ellen was sitting on the side of the bed looking at a book with John Ross. She turned and looked at JR. "All done?" she asked. JR nodded. "Shall I take over?" he asked at which she passed him the book, kissed her little boy goodnight and left the room.

Once his boy was soundly asleep JR closed the door quietly behind him and made for his bedroom. He wasn't sure what would await him. Was Sue Ellen about to confront him? If so, he needed to be ready.

However, much to his surprise he found her sitting up in bed, waiting for him, smiling. "How's it going?" she asked as she watched him take off his clothes. "The contest, I mean. Are you winning?" He smiled back at her. "I think so, I hope so" he replied as he pulled back the bedclothes and got into bed. "JR, I realise that you're in the fight of your life. I want to support you. I'm sorry about before. It's just that I miss you when you're not here, that's all." Taken aback by her words and the way she spoke them he pulled her towards him and kissed her. "I know, darlin" he answered, now feeling completely conflicted once more. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be home on time tomorrow, I promise." "Perhaps you could come back just a little earlier for a warm welcome?" she asked, kissing him firmly on the lips, enjoying the way that she was manipulating him.

Sue Ellen lay down in bed and wished him goodnight, pleased with herself that she had managed once more to continue to play the waiting game. More than that though JR had appeared guilty, remorseful even, only too quick to let her have the upper hand again.

JR turned off the bedside lamp and lay on his back, eyes wide open, sleep failing to capture him. He listened to his wife's breathing slowly change as she drifted off. This is agony, he told himself. Why did Sue Ellen always manage to draw him back in, especially now that he had the gorgeous Katherine in his life?

He thought back to the evening tryst they had shared together and then his mind wandered to the next time. It didn't matter how fond he was of Sue Ellen, it was Katherine that he wanted, he convinced himself. Katherine was like no other woman he had ever met before. He needed to possess her, to make her his, no matter how hard it was going to be in the short term. Katherine was going to be his wife and the mother of his future children, he resolved to himself before turning on his side and eventually succumbing to sleep.

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	17. Chapter 17

"Do you have any idea how happy you make me?" JR asked as he made to rise from the bed. "Hmm, hmm" giggled Katherine. "Can't you stay a little longer though? I could make you even happier." "I'm sorry darlin, you know I am, but I have to get home. A couple of nights ago I could have sworn that Sue Ellen knew…" "About us?" Katherine asked, suddenly anxious that a premature, unplanned revelation might derail the prospect of she and JR ever being together. He shook his head. "Not specifically about us but that I'm seeing someone." "And?" Her mind raced as she attempted to assess the potential implications. "And nothing" he replied bluntly, as he got out of bed and began to put his clothes on.

"You rarely talk about what's going on at home" Katherine commented as she watched him, saddened by the prospect that he was about to leave. "What is there to say?" he replied phlegmatically. "I don't want Sue Ellen. I want you but it's complicated, you know that." She sat up in bed exposing just enough of herself to remind him of what he was going to be missing after he had gone.

"You still sleep in the same bed as her, don't you?" She knew it was unwise to go down that particular road but the idea that he was enjoying normal marital relations with his wife whilst continuing to see and sleep with her was infinite torture. It kept her up at night and, by day, interfered with her ability to concentrate on her work.

JR sighed. "Not this again, darlin. Sue Ellen is still my wife and there are appearances to keep up. Of course we have to share a bedroom, but it won't be forever." "Is that all it is though? Just sharing a bed? Or is there more between you?"

He pulled on his boots and then turned to face her. "That's all, Katherine. I don't want her, I want you" he lied, gazing into her bright blue eyes now filled with tears. She didn't know whether to believe him but she knew that further interrogation would be likely to lead nowhere other than to an argument.

"Will you be at the Oil Barons' Ball at the weekend?" he asked, changing the subject deliberately. Now it was Katherine's turn to sigh. "I don't know. I've been invited, as have other members of the board, but if I'm honest I'm not sure it's wise to go."

JR raised his eyebrow in surprise. "It's going to look strange if you aren't there, honey. Questions would be bound to be asked." "I have thought about that" she countered slightly sarcastically. "However, I'm just not sure that I can go through with it having to watch you with her, playing the happy couple."

He stroked her shoulder with his finger sending shivers down her spine. "That's all it will be, an act. Come on now sweetheart. I'd love to see you there. I don't get to see you enough as it is." "Yes, but it's not as if we would be able to spend any time together, is it? Then there's my beloved sister and brother to consider too. I'm persona non grata where they are concerned these days. What if Cliff tries to start some trouble?"

"I'd sort him out, big style" he reassured her, his hand wandering beneath the sheet, keen to touch her body for a final time before he had to leave. "I need to think about it. Don't pressure me, JR. When will I see you again?"

JR sighed once more. "I don't know. Leave it with me. Can you get away from the office for an afternoon? Friday maybe?" "If I'm going to the ball Friday afternoon will be my only chance to visit the beauty salon beforehand" she answered. "Nonsense" he laughed. "You're stunningly beautiful just as you are. See me instead. You'll enjoy it so much more than the salon."

He put his arms around her and kissed her softly. "I have never encountered a woman quite like you, Katherine" he told her. "You excite me in ways that I could never have imagined." She smiled and returned the kiss. "Friday afternoon then? I love you, JR." "And I love you too" he emphasised as he put on his jacket and walked to the door.

As he left the hotel a pang of guilt hit him. He had lied to Katherine yet again about what was going on at home. Only the night before he had succumbed to Sue Ellen's advances, turned on by the sight of her in a see-through black negligee, unable to help himself. Afterwards he had regretted it and, like all the other times, resolved for it never to happen again, only to recognise that it probably would. That was the problem with being JR Ewing. He could have it all and, if he could, then why not take it?

He got in his car and pulled carefully out of the parking lot, conscious of the fact that his love-making session with Katherine had begun with them sharing a fair amount of champagne. It always tended to start that way, he reflected, loosening her inhibitions so that he could do what he wanted to her.

What he needed when he got home was a stiff bourbon, something to make him sleep. Between the fight for Ewing Oil and his ever-deepening extra-marital affair he was exhausted. Something had to give soon, he decided, otherwise the risk was burn-out and he couldn't afford that.

Arriving back at Southfork, he found the downstairs of the house quiet. He entered the living room and poured a large measure of his usual before swigging it down in one go. Then he poured another and climbed the stairs wearily.

He opened the bedroom door quietly to find Sue Ellen sitting up in bed reading a book. "How was your meeting?" she asked, disingenuously, knowing full well where he had been. "Fine thanks, honey" he replied. "Now all I need is to go to bed. I'm tired." She watched as he took off his jacket and went into the bathroom. I bet you are, she thought sadly. The time was coming when she would have to stop calling his bluff and play her hand.

Tbc


	18. Chapter 18

Katherine stared at her reflection in the full- length mirror. The decision to attend the Oil Barons' Ball hadn't been an easy one. She was dreading the evening but was determined to see it through. She had to be there for appearance's sake. Not long ago she had been the talk of the town having successfully defeated her half brother and sister in a hostile takeover of her late father's company. It was in the interests of Wentworth Industries for her to be present at the event, demonstrating strength and confidence in the future prosperity of the company.

Then there was JR. For whatever reason he had been extremely keen for her to be there. Did he just want to see her or was there a narcissistic thrill in him having the two women in his life under the same roof, she wondered as she twirled around for a final time to check that nothing was disturbing the line of her gown.

Her thoughts turned to his wife. Part of her wanted to see how JR would interact with her, to check whether he was telling her the truth when he vowed that there was no longer anything between them. Only yesterday, after rolling out of bed, having had his way as usual, he had promised her that he no longer had any feelings for Sue Ellen. Divorce and sole custody of John Ross was his only aim where his wife was concerned. He was getting out and sooner rather than later he had cajoled her.

She reached into her jewellery box for a pair of earrings and settled on a simple pair of diamond studs. Her black, beaded evening gown had cost her a fortune and was a stand-out piece and she wanted nothing to detract attention from it and the way it hugged her body perfectly. Once ready she took a deep breath and made to leave. Her car would be waiting for her and there was no going back now, she told herself nervously.

At Southfork JR paced the living room, glancing at his watch every now and then. Why was it that women took so long to get ready, he pondered with a degree of irritation. Sue Ellen had spent the last week being pampered and preened for the ball. What more could she possibly need to do before looking the way she wanted to?

He wondered what Katherine was doing right at that moment and how she was going to look when he saw her? Wonderful, as ever, he concluded, a mixture of nervousness and excitement surging through him.

Upstairs Sue Ellen took one last look at herself before picking up her evening coat and bag and exiting the bedroom. As she descended the stairs she re-calculated what she was going to do if and when she encountered her husband's mistress. Content with her plan, she forced a smile as she greeted her husband.

"Will I do?" she asked him. JR stared at her and instantly felt conflicted. Sue Ellen had always been a beautiful woman and tonight was no exception, he concluded. The dreamy, off-white hue of her full-length fitted gown exuded sophistication but her expression bore a shy, girlish quality that took him back to the first time he had set eyes on her. He took a large gulp of bourbon before responding. "You look lovely, darlin, but then you always do" he complimented her. She thanked him and then cast her eyes to the floor. Hypocrite, she steeled herself, concerned that his talent for charm and flattery might weaken her resolve.

She followed JR out of the door. "Mama, Clayton and Bobby have gone ahead" he told her. "The car's back already and we're running late." She stepped gingerly into the limo, conscious of the hem of her dress. His hand moved instinctively to the small of her back to assist her, as if nothing had changed between them, she thought sadly. "Darlin?" he asked her, noting the change in her expression. She patted his knee and smiled disingenuously as she sat back in the seat. "I was just thinking about the old times, going to the ball with your daddy, the entire family in attendance. It's a shame that we don't fully appreciate occasions like this until things have changed" she answered. "Sue Ellen?" he asked, disturbed by the poignancy of her words. "Oh, don't mind me, JR. I'm just reminiscing" she lied, content with the extent to which she had obviously made him uncomfortable.

As they walked into the ballroom JR's eyes quickly scanned the room, searching for Katherine. "Look, JR, there's Pamela and Cliff's with her" Sue Ellen commented. "I do hope there's no trouble this evening." Before he could reply he spotted her, standing talking to a group of people who he concluded were probably members of the board and their spouses. Feeling his heart almost skip a beat, his breath hitched and he realised, yet again, that he was completely hooked. No matter how elegant his wife looked she was no match for the radiance of Katherine's beauty, he told himself.

"Hmmm…" Sue Ellen remarked, watching her husband intently. "Perhaps I spoke too soon." JR turned hastily to face her, perturbed. "Huh?" "Well isn't that Katherine Wentworth over there? Something tells me that Cliff isn't going to be likely to leave matters alone where she's concerned. I must say she's a lovely looking young woman, isn't she JR?" "I hadn't noticed" he lied. "Oh, come on, my love, no need to be embarrassed. Pretty much every man in the room has clocked her" she goaded him. "That said, though, I understand she has a really mean and ruthless streak. Beauty's only skin deep so the saying goes."

She knew she was needling him but didn't care. He deserved it and there was more to come. One thing was for sure JR and his piece on the side were not going to have an enjoyable evening if she had anything to do with it. She picked up her glass of club soda and raised it to her lips, making eye contact with Cliff and flashing him a wide smile.

Tbc


	19. Chapter 19

As they took their seats for dinner JR stole a glance over towards Katherine's table. She looked up, almost instinctively, and made eye contact with him. He winked cheekily at her causing her to stifle a giggle before turning away to answer a question asked by the man sitting next to her.

As soon as she had the opportunity she looked back at the Ewing table, this time focusing her attention on Sue Ellen. She was talking animatedly to members of the family, completely comfortable with the persons present, Katherine noted. Sue Ellen's shoes were going to be difficult to fill, she concluded anxiously, worrying about ever being accepted as her replacement.

Her stomach churned as she saw Sue Ellen pat JR's knee lovingly, apparently in response to something amusing that he had just said and was relieved when he failed to respond. Her attention turned next to Bobby, not out of any romantic interest, but to gauge his reaction to the presence of Pamela, his soon-to-be ex-wife, at the event. Predictably, Bobby was unable to disguise what he was obviously feeling, glancing every few seconds in Pamela's direction, willing her to acknowledge him.

Worried that she might be drawing attention to herself she turned back to her guests and initiated conversation with them. As soon as it was polite to do so she decided that she was going to get out of there on the pretext that she was not feeling too good. Perhaps she was the only one who could feel it, she mused, but the tension was palpable.

Sue Ellen studiously ignored the Wentworth Industries table. She had seen enough already. Her rival looked a million dollars and it hurt. The truth was that whatever she and JR had in common, whatever had bound them together in the past, he and Katherine were far more compatible, she reflected sadly. Steeling herself, she resolved to do as she had planned. She would make the evening as difficult as possible for the pair of them. Then what though?

Dinner progressed and as coffee was served it was time for the customary speeches. After that she would make her move, Sue Ellen decided. As soon as the band struck up, in accordance with their usual custom, she and JR parted company, he to speak to those who may prove advantageous to Ewing Oil in the near future, she to chat with women who couldn't really be described as friends but who expected her to acknowledge them and exchange pleasantries.

Katherine got up to leave, looking over to where JR was standing chatting to members of the Cartel before she did so. He caught her eye and mouthed "don't go" to her causing her to pause. She wanted to speak to him, to be with him, but hadn't the first clue how that was going to be achieved in a packed ballroom where somebody's eyes were bound to be on them.

Before she could take flight, she was cornered by a well-wisher, someone who had known her father and had obviously resented the way her mother had dealt with her estate. As their polite yet stilted conversation came to a close, suddenly she was there, right in front of her, the current Mrs Ewing.

"Hello Katherine" Sue Ellen greeted her. "Are you well? I must say you are looking just lovely this evening. Is that Chanel you are wearing?" Katherine nodded awkwardly. "Yes, thank you, Sue Ellen. I must compliment you too. You are as elegant as ever."

Katherine's mind was racing. How could she extricate herself from this horrendous situation, she worried before deciding to front it out. There was only so much that they had to say to each other, she decided, before it became perfectly acceptable to move on, in her case right out of the building.

Sue Ellen smiled wryly. "I'm surprised you have nobody to escort you this evening. I mean, you must be one of the most eligible young women here?" Katherine smiled back sweetly, determined to keep her cool. "I haven't had much time recently. The company has been my absolute focus" she answered, praying for someone, anyone, to come and rescue her. "I wouldn't know about that" Sue Ellen responded. "JR has always wanted me to stay at home, to be the traditional sort of wife that someone as powerful as he deserves. That said, though, he is incredibly good to me in return."

Katherine's stomach churned. This was torture and there was apparently no means of escape just yet. "Look at these?" Sue Ellen asked, pushing her hair back from her face to reveal her earrings. "JR got me these on a recent business trip to New York. They're Bulgari. I told him at the time that they were far too extravagant. He was only away for a few days."

Katherine stared at the citrine and diamond drops. "They're exquisite" she commented, gulping hard, trying her utmost to keep calm. Was this a message or just some cruel coincidence, she wondered anxiously. "You see, we've had our problems over the years but one thing always remains the same" Sue Ellen continued, enjoying the control she had over the conversation. "When we're not together JR misses me. He and I just can't seem to be apart for very long. I think it's the idea of me being with someone else that gets to him. He couldn't stand it last time. It almost killed him to think that I might make a life for myself with another man so he went all out to reverse the situation and get me back."

"Mrs Ewing?" Katherine asked, sensing that there was more to be said. Sue Ellen must know, she realised, telling herself not to panic. "Oh, I'm sorry. I really shouldn't discuss my marriage. It's just that we are so happy right now I can't help myself. I hope you enjoy your evening."

Before she could compose a response, Sue Ellen had turned away and was already talking to someone else. Katherine stared at her, defeated and broken. JR was never going to leave his wife for her, she concluded. Why should he, when he had the best of both worlds? However, that was never going to be enough for her. It wasn't the evident expense of the coming-home gift that JR had given Sue Ellen, it was the fact that he had felt obliged to bring her anything at all, to mark the fact that they had been apart and that, obviously, he had missed her.

She strode purposefully through the room and exited the building, the chill, evening air stinging her face as the tears fell. It was over, she decided, and now she had to get out of Dallas, at least until the pain had healed somewhat and she could face life without him. She knew exactly where she would go.

Tbc

 **Happy May bank holiday. Thank you for reading and reviewing : )**


	20. Chapter 20

"Come on now, honey, I'll make it worth your while" JR asked, trying his best not to sound as desperate as he felt. Katherine's secretary shook her head firmly. "I'm sorry, Mr Ewing. It's more than my job's worth to reveal where Miss Wentworth is right now." JR sighed in exasperation. "When will she be back? You could at least tell me that."

"I don't know and that's the truth, sir" the secretary replied. She felt almost sorry for him as he turned dejectedly and made for the door. Katherine was always discreet where her private life was concerned but her employee would have had to be blind not to have noticed how her whole face lit up whenever JR Ewing visited the office. Whatever there had been between them was now obviously over and the break-up had to have been traumatic to send Katherine running so abruptly, she concluded.

JR entered the elevator and waited for it to start its descent. Almost tearful with frustration he wracked his brains to decide what he would do next. One minute, Katherine had been there at the ball, smiling shyly at him whenever she had the opportunity, and the next she was gone. So far, every effort to trace her had been in vain, the finest team of private investigators unable to identify where she had gone.

Exiting the building and walking out into the street he paused by a pay-phone, inserted some coins and dialled. "Any news?" he asked the man who answered his call. "Mr Ewing, I'm sorry. It's as if Miss Wentworth disappeared into thin air" he was told. "Not good enough" JR muttered. "Did you check all flights, internal as well as international?" "Yes sir, I've personally inspected all the manifests that my contact at Dallas Fort Worth supplied. I can only conclude that she used her own private jet if she left on a flight. Do you wish us to carry on?" "Of course I do!" JR replied gruffly. "I want her found. It doesn't matter what it takes."

He rang off, slamming the receiver down in anger. He needed a drink even though it was barely noon. Business would just have to wait. He was bereft and unable to concentrate on anything other than finding the woman he loved. He crossed the street and went into a bar where he sat in a quiet corner waiting to be served.

His mind wandered back to the night of the ball. The last thing he had seen of his lover was Sue Ellen speaking to her briefly. The exchange appeared to be polite and his wife had said nothing to him about it afterwards. The possibility existed that she had warned Katherine off but, if that was the case, she mustn't be intending to confront him about their affair.

Back at Southfork Sue Ellen was sitting out under the shade. She was trying to read but, as ever these days, she was finding it difficult to focus. At first, she had regarded Katherine's sudden departure from the ball as a victory. Breaking her and JR apart was the ultimate triumph so why did it only feel good for the shortest of moments?

Although he tried not to show it her husband was struggling. Sue Ellen knew him better than he imagined. He was quieter than usual, distracted in his manner and his appetite had suffered to the extent that he had dropped a noticeable amount of weight in the space of just a few days. Whenever she asked if everything was alright he would reply curtly yet politely that everything was fine and it was just the strain of the competition with Bobby that was taking its toll. He was missing her, Sue Ellen concluded sadly. What had almost certainly begun as an affair, sex with no strings attached had developed into so much more and it hurt to have to acknowledge it.

Every effort to cheer him up, make him forget her, had fallen on stony ground thus far, she reflected. A blatant attempt at seduction the night before had been rebuffed by him, not cruelly or impolitely but firmly, leaving her in no doubt. While he had enjoyed having them both, when it came down to making a choice JR wanted Katherine, not her. Perhaps with time things would settle down, she told herself. She wasn't convinced though. The reality was that JR had fallen in love with her rival. That had never happened before. This time it was different and there was only one thing to be done, she decided.

She wandered indoors and up the stairs. Once she was ensconced in the bedroom she picked up the telephone and made the call. Afterwards she breathed a sigh of relief. She had been dreading it but, once done, a wave of relief swept over her. It felt right even though her overwhelming emotion right at that moment was sadness. She lay down on the bed and wept silently before, exhausted, she fell asleep.

"Sue Ellen?" JR shook her gently. "It's almost time for dinner." She sat up and stared into his eyes. "I know, JR" she told him "about you and Katherine." "Sue Ellen, erm, darlin, It's over" he answered sheepishly. "No, it isn't" she replied flatly, keeping her emotions in check as a self-defence mechanism.

She rose and walked over to the chest of drawers where she retrieved a large brown envelope and handed it to him. "I'm setting you free" she informed him. He glanced at her quizzically before opening the envelope and inspecting the contents.

Before he could speak she interrupted him. "It's the draft of the divorce petition that I have instructed my attorney to issue first thing tomorrow. Don't worry. It doesn't refer to adultery and it moves for joint custody of John Ross to be awarded to us both. My plan is to buy a house quite close by so that our son can move between us freely and easily and can stay at his current school."

"What do you want?" JR asked, shocked and confused. "I already have what you paid me the first time. I just want a lump sum large enough for a suitable property, that's all. Oh, and child support obviously. I can live very comfortably off the income from the money I have invested."

"Why?" JR asked. "Because you are miserable and so am I. Go to her and tell her. You and I are finally through. If Katherine Wentworth makes you happy then I'm not going to stand in your way." "I don't even know where she is" JR commented, still in complete shock not just at the announcement but at the way it was being delivered.

"Go and find her" Sue Ellen responded. "If you can't then nobody can. I will move into one of the guest rooms temporarily. We must tell our son and then the rest of the family together. This time it has to be different, JR."

Tbc


	21. Chapter 21

"Fifty thousand dollars and I won't say a word about where I got the information from" JR began, addressing Katherine's secretary. "Honey, I'm desperate. I need to speak to Miss Wentworth urgently. I cannot impress on you just how important it is, for both of us." The young woman stared at the imposing figure before her. Gut instinct told her the right thing to do although, intellectually, she was far from sure. "I don't want your money, Mr Ewing. I only want to do the right thing by my boss. Miss Wentworth has been good to me" she eventually replied. Before he could protest she reached for her notepad and wrote an address on it. She tore it out quickly before she could change her mind and thrust it in his hand. "Best of luck, sir" she told him as she observed his expression change from frustrated to relieved. Stuck for words, "thank you" was all he could say before turning and walking quickly towards the elevator.

The evening before had been difficult. Telling the family, jointly with Sue Ellen, that they had decided to end their marriage was met with shock and dismay although for some, Clayton in particular, a sense of inevitability eventually took over. Informing John Ross had been even worse. JR had allowed Sue Ellen to do the vast majority of the talking and reassuring, it having been agreed that the idea of another woman coming into the life of his daddy was something that would have to emerge gradually and sensitively for the little boy.

Things were moving fast. The divorce petition had been served earlier that morning on JR's appointed attorney and Sue Ellen was now resident in one of the guest rooms at Southfork pending identification of a new home. JR had instructed his lawyer to give his wife whatever she wanted in the interests of keeping matters as amicable as possible between them. Her calm demeanour was something of a puzzle to him and part of him questioned what she might have planned. However, for now, the priority had to be to get to Katherine, to let her know that, whatever had happened at the Oil Barons' Ball, he wanted her, not as a mistress but, now, as his wife.

As he dashed back to Southfork, having made the necessary arrangements for the Ewing jet to be ready for him, he felt a mixture of trepidation and excitement. He needed to work out what to say, to convince Katherine that he wanted her and was completely committed to a future with her.

"I take it that you have found her?" Sue Ellen asked as he entered the house. He nodded sheepishly, conscious of his wife's sensibilities. "I hope it goes well" she answered phlegmatically. "I'll tell John Ross when he gets back from school that you have had to go on a business trip." "I'll call him later" he told her as he made for the stairs. She gave no response. The reality of their situation was kicking in by the minute. It was over. Finished. Sadness had to be replaced by pragmatism. She would be alright in time, she told herself.

Four hours later and he was there. He had never once imagined that Katherine would flee here, he mused as he took in his surroundings. Amelia Island, Florida, had never figured in his thinking. Not that he was to imagine that Herbert Wentworth had bought a beach-front villa here when his daughter was just a little girl. He surveyed his surroundings keenly as the cab neared its destination and was impressed by the beauty of the place.

The car stopped at the edge of a private driveway barred by a tall wrought iron gate. "This is it, sir. The Wentworth property" the cab driver told him. "It's one of the finest houses on the island but it's used so rarely these days. It's a real pity." JR paid him and walked up to the gate, relieved to find it unlocked.

He walked hesitantly towards the front door. What if she turned him away, he wondered nervously as he knocked. Gaining no answer, despite waiting for a minute or so, he knocked once more. "Katherine, it's me" he called out after getting no response. Silence.

He placed his overnight bag down on the driveway and walked to the side of the house where he found a narrow pathway leading to back of the property. He followed the path and discovered that it led to a large garden highlighted by a shimmering pool. "Katherine?" he called out again but was disappointed.

Beyond the pool the pathway continued down to the coast. He walked further and when he reached the gate to the beach he finally saw her. She was sitting close to the shoreline, hugging her knees, apparently deep in thought. He watched her for several seconds before plucking up the courage to shout her name once more.

"Katherine!" She turned towards the sound of his voice and shielded her eyes from the early evening sun to see better. Once she realised that she was not deceiving herself she got up quickly and began to run in the opposite direction. "You shouldn't have come here" she shouted angrily, turning her head back towards him momentarily before picking up speed.

At that JR set off running after her, determined not to let her go. "Katherine! Stop honey, please" he pleaded. "I'm not leaving darlin. There are things I need to say." Realising that entreaties might not work he increased his pace, cursing at his lack of physical fitness. Suddenly, and much to his relief, she stopped, bending over to catch her breath, exhausted. Not wanting to take any chances he pushed on and, before she could escape, caught up with her.

"No, JR!" she screamed as he took hold of her by her arms. He shook her to prevent her from struggling. "Listen to me! Please?" he begged. "My marriage is over, done with. Sue Ellen and I have agreed terms. You're the only one that I want, Katherine. You have to believe me…"

"The earrings that you got her! Do you know how that made me feel?" she responded angrily, still attempting to free herself from his grasp. "I got them for you originally but then I realised that they were totally meaningless, a pathetic gesture that I could improve upon" he argued, determined not to let go of her. "Call it guilt, whatever you like, my giving them to Sue Ellen, but you have to believe me. I love you and I want you to be my wife."

She stopped struggling, exhausted and breathless, much to his relief. "We need to talk properly" she suggested. "You're not forgiven- yet." She beckoned to him to follow her back to the house, wiping away the tears from her face that represented a mixture of upset and happiness. He smiled, content that they were finally back on the right track. There was work still to be done though.

Tbc

 **No more updates for at least two weeks. I'm off on holiday. Hurrah! : )**


	22. Chapter 22

Katherine slid the patio door open, slipped off her sandals and went in, turning briefly to look at JR. Her expression remained hostile rocking JR's confidence that he might win her round. She beckoned for him to sit at the kitchen table. He obeyed her. As she moved to the refrigerator he studied her carefully.

Wearing no make-up and with her hair tousled gently over her shoulders she looked younger, he mused, and all the more beautiful for it. He watched as she produced a jug of iced tea and began to pour two glasses. Wordlessly she placed one of them down in front of him.

He took a sip followed by a thirsty gulp, reminded of just how long it had been since he had taken refreshment. Katherine sat down opposite him and sipped her drink still not venturing to speak. Now it was her turn to stare at him. He appeared careworn with a greyish pallor that evidenced his lack of appetite in recent days. She had certainly punished him with her sudden disappearance, she concluded, but would that be enough?

After what seemed like an eternity JR began to speak. "Katherine, I don't understand. Why did you just take off like that?" he asked. "I'm astonished that you have had to ask" she countered. "I should have thought that it was obvious."

JR shook his head. "What did Sue Ellen say to you?" he enquired nervously. Katherine sighed sadly. "She just confirmed for me what, deep down, I already knew. You had no intention of leaving her to be with me and that's the sorry truth of the matter."

"No, Katherine" he replied with a force in his tone that shocked her slightly and reminded her how dangerous he could be when opposed. "She was toying with you because she knew about us. I'm surprised you took the bait so quickly."

She gasped at his audacity. "So, I'm the one to blame then?" she asked. "You need to leave JR." "I'm going nowhere honey, not until you listen to me." He grasped her hand but she pulled it away roughly.

"You were sleeping with her all the time that we were together, when you had promised me…" Her tone was rising with anger telling him that he needed to prevent matters from escalating between them.

"It meant nothing, I swear. I didn't dare arouse her suspicion. Well at least that's what I thought" he protested. Katherine shook her head, close to tears. "And now?" "Matters are being settled between us. This is real, Katherine. It's over between Sue Ellen and me. She's moving out as soon as she can find somewhere appropriate to go."

She rose from the table fearing him that she was about to show him the door. Instead, however, she left the room. When she returned seconds later she was clutching the photo frame he had given her when they had been in New York together.

JR raised an eyebrow. "You brought that here?" he asked. Katherine nodded. "Tell me why you got me this?" she asked. "I bought the earrings that Sue Ellen was wearing for you first but then, somehow, I felt that they weren't right, not for you. I wanted to give you something with more meaning, something that showed you the way I feel about you. You are so brilliantly clever and brave, honey. I wanted you to know that."

She sighed sadly. "This is so complicated isn't it?" JR shook his head firmly. "It isn't now, Katherine" he told her. "If you will still have me I want us to be married, as soon as possible. We belong together, let's face it?"

She smiled sadly. He brushed a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb, still uncertain. "I don't want to pressure you. Is there a hotel nearby that I can check into?" he enquired. "Don't you have business to attend to?" she asked. "Right now, there is nothing more important than being here. I will win you back, Katherine, and I don't care how long it takes."

"Come with me" she told him, making to stand. "You don't need a hotel. There's more than enough room here." He followed her out into the hall, taking in their surroundings as he walked. The villa was the epitome of understated elegance, he noted, the kind of holiday home that he could envisage the Wentworth family and their guests enjoying back in the day.

"Do you like the house?" she asked, as they ascended the stairs. "It's lovely" he remarked, meaning it. "My mother didn't much care for it. She thought it was too isolated. My father and I always loved it" she told him. "It's so peaceful and restful here."

She gestured to one of the doors on the first floor. "You can stay in there." JR nodded gratefully. "Thank you, honey." "And don't try anything" she warned him. He shook his head. "I won't, I promise." He smiled cheekily at her as he entered. The bedroom was spacious, simply furnished yet luxurious at the same time. He traced his finger over the bed linen, noting the fine, crisp cotton.

"While you get settled I'll make a start on dinner" she informed him, closing the door behind her. Relieved that he hadn't been turfed out of the place he sat down on the bed and looked out of the large bay window which faced towards the ocean. He smiled to himself as he imagined Katherine spending time here as a young girl, untroubled by the solitude, engrossed no doubt in her novels, perhaps even practising her writing there?

He realised that the more he learned about her the more he loved her. She was a complex personality, he concluded. A hard exterior belied a softer, more family oriented inner. He could envisage her as a mother bringing their children here for the summer, allowing them the freedom to play on the beach and roam in the extensive grounds of the house in complete safety.

He had to win her round, he determined. Otherwise there simply was no point.

Tbc


	23. Chapter 23

JR watched as Katherine began serving dinner. He couldn't decide whether the pang in his stomach was hunger or nerves or a mixture of both. He hadn't been given the rapturous welcome that he had been hoping for and now the reality was sinking in that there was much to be explained and no guarantee that he would leave with what he came for.

Katherine glanced at him as she poured them both a small amount of wine, anxious not to allow drink to cloud her judgment. Her expression was serious indicating that her mood was unlikely to soften any time soon.

As she had begun to prepare their meal, while JR was settling himself into one of the guest rooms, she had ruminated on one thing only- his admission that while they were conducting their affair he had continued to have sex with his wife. The very thought of the extent of his betrayal of the both of them made her feel sick and, for the first time, she was able to empathise with Sue Ellen. If this was how he could behave without even feeling bad about it, what would marriage to him actually be like?

She handed him a plate and gestured for him to help himself to the range of dishes she had made, all impeccably presented with the attention to detail that was so important to her. Unsure of himself, he smiled and thanked her before waiting for her to take a seat.

"Katherine, er I…" he began. She held up her hand. "Let's eat first. We can talk later" she told him. He wasn't going to dominate how the evening went, not this time, of that she was determined. There were too many questions for her to assemble in her mind and, for that, she needed time to think.

At first neither of them appeared to have much appetite even though they had eaten little in the past few days. Gradually, though, the need to refuel their bodies and to relieve themselves of the brain fog which they shared in common kicked in and made them start to eat. Katherine watched as JR cleared his plate with obvious enjoyment, pleased that he appreciated her efforts in the kitchen. It reminded her of their time together in New York when she had impressed him with her domestic skills. Suddenly the memory filled her with sadness. Anything had seemed possible to her then. They had a future together, an illusion of happiness that would come crashing down around her once the extent of his deceit had become apparent. How was she ever going to get past that if she did as he asked and took him back?

JR watched as she cleared their plates away and loaded them into the dishwasher. This wasn't going to be easy. Katherine had never been a pushover and she was hardly going to start now. "Thank you, that was very good" he told her as she took her seat once more. She nodded but made no reply which unsettled him further.

"What now?" he asked evidencing his impatience. "I've put some coffee on. Shall we take it in the living room?" She rose and he followed subserviently, anxiously trying to collect his thoughts, afraid that he would be trapped into saying the wrong thing, unnerved by her apparent calmness.

At Southfork dinner had drawn to a close. John Ross had gone to his room leaving the adults free to talk. Bobby broke the awkward silence that had descended as soon as his nephew had gone upstairs.

"Where he is then?" he asked. "Florida" Sue Ellen replied flatly. "What's he doing there?" Clayton asked frustratedly. Miss Ellie sighed before speaking. "Sue Ellen, I think we deserve an explanation. You and JR seemed to be getting on alright recently and then, all of a sudden, you announce the marriage is over."

"You will have to ask your son to explain, Miss Ellie" Sue Ellen responded bluntly. "It's another woman isn't it?" Bobby asked but then immediately regretted it. His sister-in-law didn't deserve to be humiliated or upset any further.

Sue Ellen nodded sadly. Clayton rose from his seat. "I need a brandy" he announced. "Can I get anyone anything?" "A brandy would slip down very nicely right now" Sue Ellen answered with a wry smile that told them she was joking. Miss Ellie glanced worriedly at her husband, conscious of how easy it had been in the past for her daughter-in-law to try to ease her troubles with liquor.

"Shall we go into the living room?" she asked. Wordlessly the others followed. "Who is it?" Clayton asked as he poured the drinks. Sue Ellen laughed lightly, almost ashamedly. "Do we know her?" "Oh yes, you all do. In fact, Bobby, you're related to her."

Processing what had just been said, Bobby took a sharp intake of breath. "Katherine? Are you sure?" he asked dumbfounded. "Oh yes, I'm sure. He's with her right now." "This is outrageous!" Clayton raged. "How could he put his marriage, his family, at stake for yet another sordid affair?"

Sue Ellen shook her head. "It's different this time" she informed them. "How?" Miss Ellie asked. "He loves her, that's how. That's why I can't demand that he gives her up, like he did with all the others." "I don't know what to say, Sue Ellen, other than I am sorry. I still can't quite take it in" Bobby commented, taking a large gulp of whisky.

"There's really nothing to be said" Sue Ellen replied phlegmatically. "JR wants her, not me. That's why I need to leave and make a future for myself elsewhere. It isn't what I want but I have no choice." "What if it's just infatuation and not really love? What would you do if it burnt itself out eventually? Look, I'm not condoning what JR has done, I would never do that. What I suppose I'm asking is why the rush, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie asked, desperate not to see her family disintegrate any further.

Sue Ellen smiled sadly. "Because I've had enough. I'm done, Miss Ellie. It doesn't matter how I feel about JR. He will never change and he will always keep on hurting me. I have to protect myself, for my sake and for John Ross."

She rose to her feet watched by the others. "Goodnight" she told them as she walked to the foot of the stairs. "Goodnight, Sue Ellen" they answered in unison. There was no more to be said.

Tbc


	24. Chapter 24

Katherine sipped her coffee whilst watching JR take a decent slug of the brandy he had asked for instead. Silence pervaded the room punctuated now and then by the sound of the night breeze rushing through the trees.

She cleared her throat gaining his immediate attention. "I've had a lot of time to think" she began "and I believe that I deserve an explanation?" JR nodded in agreement. "First of all, are you only here because your wife has told you it's over?" He shook his head vigorously. "I needed to find you first. Then I was going to tell Sue Ellen that we had reached the end of the line, because of you I must stress. It was just that she got there first."

She sighed unconvinced. "Katherine what do you want me to say?" he asked, a note of definite frustration in his voice. "I want you to say that since New York you haven't touched Sue Ellen but you can't, can you? I wonder if it had not been for what she told me at the ball whether you would have tried to lie about that?"

JR sighed and drained his glass. "May I?" he asked, standing and then making his way over to the drinks trolley in the corner. "Go ahead" she answered. "Do you want one honey?" he enquired, hoping that she would accept, believing that the drink might soften her up. "No thank you" she responded determined to keep a clear head.

As he took his seat once again, his glass replenished, she held her arm out exaggeratedly. "Go on then, JR. I'm all ears." He paused, attempting to collect his thoughts. "It wasn't a regular thing, Katherine. Sue Ellen and I, well it's complicated. It always has been, until now that is. She was my first proper girlfriend. Before her my life was one whole series of one- night stands or, at best, brief, casual affairs destined to go nowhere. Sue Ellen was different though. For a start she was the first woman who didn't jump right into bed with me. That got to me, the fact that she was unattainable."

Katherine gave him a hostile stare. She had wanted honesty not a love story. "Katherine, please bear with me. I'm trying to be honest, as you wished. After I started seeing her my parents made it known that it was high time in their view for me to settle down. They took our courtship as a sign that I was finally complying with their wishes. Then she made such a favourable impression when I brought her home that, before I knew it, we were engaged. It was a process that even I couldn't stop."

"Don't tell me that you didn't love her?" Katherine asked incredulously. "No, I wouldn't do that. I cannot deny that the early years of marriage were happy for both of us despite the fact that we had next to nothing in common. Then the rot set in. I started to be unfaithful and she retaliated with a number of affairs too, your idiot half brother being one of her lovers, her way of trying to get back at me. By the time John Ross was born Sue Ellen described our relationship as sick and, sadly, she was right."

"She ended it though? Not you? At least that's what Pam once told me?" JR nodded. "Yes, she did. She ran off taking my son with her to live with Clayton Farlow's son. I lost. Katherine, for the first time in my life I had lost and it almost killed me."

"But you wooed her back and married her a second time? JR, can you appreciate how difficult all this is to understand?" Katherine asked, perplexed, thrown off kilter by his apparent frankness. "I had lost my daddy. I felt like I had nothing left. Then, to top it all off, Sue Ellen took up with Cliff again and he became determined to marry her. Surely you can appreciate why I couldn't let that happen?"

She nodded sagely. Of all people she knew what it had been like to have to face something that was rightfully hers being taken away. The need to prevent it, to take back what was hers, had been all-consuming. The sensation remained with her and was likely to for all time.

"You have loved her though?" "Yes, in my own way I did. That is until I met you. Then everything changed. I have felt guilty and there have been times when I wasn't sure I could do it to her, when trying to lead a normal married life with her seemed the right thing to do but, when it came to it, I just couldn't carry on. Katherine, I can't face life without you. Sue Ellen and I are finally through. You are the one I want."

"How do I know that you don't just want me for my company and all my assets?" she asked, still dubious about what he was telling her. He let out a wry laugh. "If I had just been after Wentworth Industries I would have taken it by now, honey. I won't deny that the idea of our respective empires merging and rendering each other stronger isn't mightily attractive. It is. Just imagine what our children would stand to inherit…"

The mention of children touched a raw nerve in her. There was nothing more that she wanted than to be a mother, not yet but eventually, and the concept of having a family with JR had been something that she had often dreamt about. Now, however, she was unable to decide whether what he was telling her was the truth or just a meaningless inducement, destined never to be.

"Enough" she informed him forcefully. "I need to go to bed. We can talk again in the morning." She rose to her feet. "Goodnight JR. Please feel free to put the tv on or to take your pick from the books." "I love you, Katherine. Goodnight. Thank you again for allowing me to stay here." Making no reply she left the room.

Back at Southfork Sue Ellen was sitting up in bed perusing real estate agents' particulars. One property caught her eye. The sooner she was out of Southfork and in her own home the better she told herself as she switched her bedside lamp off and prepared for another sleepless night.

Tbc.


	25. Chapter 25

JR opened his eyes. Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains providing him with the reminder he needed. After retiring to bed late and with more bourbon inside him than even he could usually handle, he had fallen into the deep yet unsatisfactory sleep that drink brought with it. His dreams had been disturbing, confused and one particular sequence haunted him. He shuddered at the memory. He hadn't dreamt about that period in his life for a long time. He thought he had expunged it from his mind as if it had never happened. Now he realised he was wrong.

He strained, without moving, to hear and was comforted by the sound of activity downstairs. He had been afraid as he retired for bed that Katherine would take herself off on the move again now that he had discovered her hideaway, waiting for him to fall into a drunken stupor before making her getaway. The fact that she was still there had to bode well didn't it?

He stepped into the shower and let the warm water envelope him. He recognised that there was still much to say, to explain, but he wasn't sure where to begin. Had something in his past damaged him to the extent that the pursuit of only his own gratification and pleasure was all that mattered? His stomach lurched again as he remembered. Pull yourself together he cautioned himself as he stepped out and wrapped the towel around him.

He tutted to himself as he opened his overnight bag and inspected the contents. In his haste to leave he had stuffed a couple of clean shirts rather than folding them into the bag. He sighed to himself as he put on the one that was in slightly better condition than the other and wondered if Katherine had a housekeeper?

Downstairs Katherine was busy making breakfast. She hadn't decided what to do yet. She could, of course, require JR to leave as soon as he had eaten. That would stop him from using his considerable charm and persuasion on her and to force him to realise that she was no pushover when it came to what had happened. Deep down, however, she knew that she would not turn him away. She wanted him but she had to know. Would things be different now? Could they be happy, not just for now but forever?

She smiled gently as he entered the kitchen, amused by the somewhat ruffled nature of his appearance. "Good morning" he ventured carefully and with a formality that betrayed his nerves. She beckoned for him to sit and poured him a cup of coffee which he took eagerly. "Did you sleep well, JR?" she asked. He nodded. "The bourbon helped a little" he answered sipping the strong, dark liquid, feeling its effect almost instantaneously.

He wanted to say something to break the impasse between them but he couldn't find the right words. Instead, he thanked her for the plate of food that she passed to him although he didn't have much appetite for it. She sat across from him and began eating, her plate consisting of an assortment of fruit as opposed to the egg and bacon she had cooked for him.

"Shall we take a walk?" she asked when they were both done. JR nodded wordlessly at her suggestion, pleased that she wasn't requiring him to leave, at least not yet.

The sun was bright but not strong enough to compete with the autumnal coastal breeze. Katherine put on a thick cashmere cardigan and wrapped a matching scarf around her neck. JR had to content himself with his suit jacket which he rapidly realised would not provide much warmth. "I didn't come very well equipped, darlin" he commented as he followed her outdoors. She smiled wryly at the fact that she still had him very much on his toes. The longer he was worried the better, she thought to herself as they walked through the garden towards the beach.

"You do know how I feel about you, don't you?" JR asked, breaking the silence as they reached the shoreline. Katherine turned and he was instantly struck by her beauty even without make-up and her hair tied away from her face in a loose ponytail. "I thought I did until…" "I'm not giving up now honey" he interjected quickly before she had time to finish. "Even if you send me away you and I will be married, you do realise that, don't you?" Katherine shook her head. "I'm not Sue Ellen, JR. I won't tolerate lies and I surely won't put up with infidelity. She might have been able to sacrifice her dignity for the Ewing name but I won't. I don't need to."

JR took her by the arm, stopping her in her tracks. "You won't have to, I promise. I can't explain it right now but I believe that I have figured out what makes me behave as I do. I wish I could tell you but I can't. Not now. One day I will. The main thing is that now I know what drives my behaviour I think I can fix it." Katherine shook her head dubiously. "You have a lot to prove, JR" she told him firmly, speeding up her pace and leaving him in no doubt that he still had work to do.

In Dallas Sue Ellen turned into a long driveway before parking at one end of a circular lawn. As she exited her car she was met by a smart, middle aged woman. "Mrs Ewing, good morning" the woman greeted her, extending her hand in a business-like manner. Sue Ellen shook the woman's hand and gazed at the property that she had come to see.

"It's only just come onto the market. I saw it and thought instantly of you, Mrs Ewing. Shall we?" Sue Ellen smiled. The Palladian exterior of the house was grand and imposing and the gardens had been landscaped delightfully. For the first time she could actually imagine living there, all her previous property viewings having proved fruitless. "The inside is just as splendid as the outside" the real estate agent informed her as she turned the key in the lock.

Tbc

 **I'm sorry that I haven't updated for ages. I have been so busy over the summer at work and with my family. Will try harder now that autumn is here : )**


	26. Chapter 26

"I'll take it" Sue Ellen told the real estate agent decisively. The woman smiled warmly in response. "I'm offering the asking price on the proviso that it comes off the market immediately. I have the money, every cent of it and I am keen to complete the purchase and move in as quickly as possible." "Yes of course Mrs Ewing. Shall I ask the vendor's attorney to call yours?"

Sue Ellen nodded. As she reached her car she took one last look. When she divorced JR the first time and after things hadn't worked out with Dusty, her search for somewhere to live led to a much more modest property, one that would do for the time being, at least until John Ross was older or another man came into her life. This time it was different she told herself. This time she needed somewhere that could be her home forever and no matter what. This was indeed the place, of that she was certain. Here she was confident that she could build a new life for herself. This house was grand, spacious and comfortable but, more than that, it felt safe.

As she started her car a pang of sadness suddenly interrupted what, until then, had been a positive mood. She knew where JR was and who he was with and it pained her. Given that he had now been gone over twenty four hours told her that Katherine hadn't turned him away. Not that would have made any difference, she resolved, because even if JR and his latest mistress couldn't make up it was only a matter of time before he betrayed her again with someone else. This is for the best, she decided, come what may. It was time to make the break from JR, finally, decidedly and irrevocably. He didn't want her any more and she had to come to terms with the fact.

As she turned out of the driveway the temptation to find the nearest bar and drink herself into oblivion nagged her. Don't do it, pull yourself out of this, call Dr Elby if needs be, do anything but fall off the wagon, she told herself. As she joined the freeway the sense of relief was enormous. She had stopped herself from pushing the self-destruct button and it felt like a victory, for her against the cruelty of a husband who had never really loved her. The next test would be when JR got back, when she had to face him. At least, she reassured herself, she would have the satisfaction of letting him know that she was getting on with her life, starting with the most extravagant purchase she had ever made.

JR hugged his jacket around him as he and Katherine walked. She turned and smiled. "Shall we go back to the house?" she asked. "I'm just fine, darlin" he lied. "Come on" she demanded, turning on her heels. "We can't keep going around in circles forever."

He knew she was right. Their conversation had fizzled into nothing once he had realised that getting around her wasn't going to be as easy as it had in the past with Sue Ellen. Katherine was not a woman who took chances. Every move she made in life had been calculated in advance. Katherine Wentworth was no risk-taker. That was how her father had taught her. It was how she had been programmed to behave and her success, just like that of her daddy, spoke volumes about their strategy.

They entered the house and JR was instantly relieved by the change in temperature once he had closed the door behind them. Katherine beckoned for him to follow her into the kitchen. "Tea?" she asked. JR shook his head. "I'd like something stronger if that's alright?" She gestured for him to go through to the living room that they had been sitting in after dinner the night before. There, he poured himself a large drink whilst Katherine boiled the kettle next door.

When her tea was ready she joined him, settling herself into the large, comfortable armchair opposite. Torturous silence reigned once more between them. "Honey, I don't know what more I can say" JR ventured after what seemed like an age. Katherine gazed into his eyes. "Neither do I" she replied with an air of resignation. "As I told you before. I'm not Sue Ellen and I don't go for mere blandishments. If I decide to give you another chance it has to be because I believe you deserve it, because you have convinced me that it won't happen again."

JR sighed. "This isn't easy for me, Katherine but if it makes you understand me and it helps you to accept my assurances for the future it will be worth it…" "Go on then." JR's expression bore a solemnity that she had never seen before, even when he was at his most beseeching. "You'll have to bear with me for a few moments. I'm not sure I can." His voice faltered and almost cracked, causing him to clear his throat.

Katherine waited, intrigued by what he was about to say. It couldn't be about his childhood, she decided. They had been through that before, notably when he stayed with her in New York. There, he had been at his most open about the constant rejection he had suffered at the hands of his parents, his inability to understand it when young followed by the disappointment of the realisation of where he figured in the family once he got older.

God, she thought. He isn't going to lay his soul bare about his relationship with Sue Ellen is he? That would be way too much, hearing about how the then Miss Texas had stolen the heart of the most eligible bachelor in the state.

JR cleared his throat once more and then hesitated. Katherine gazed into his eyes and noted the sadness in them. "I don't know to what extent you have researched me" he began. Katherine shrugged her shoulders. "There wasn't really any need given your notoriety in Dallas" she replied, still bemused as to where the conversation might be heading.

"I once did a tour of duty in South Vietnam…"

Tbc


	27. Chapter 27

Katherine stared at JR wide-eyed but said nothing. He looked down into his glass and exhaled heavily. "I've never spoken to anyone about my time in Vietnam" he began. "Not even your wife?" Katherine asked. JR shook his head. "Never. Sue Ellen wouldn't have understood."

She gazed at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "I had just graduated from college. I had anticipated going straight into Ewing Oil but my daddy had other ideas. He told me that I needed to become a real man, a man's man as he would describe it, and the best way to do that would be to join up and do my duty for my country."

"Did you have no say in the matter?" Katherine enquired incredulously. "Not much" he responded in a matter of fact tone. "My mama wasn't keen in the slightest and she tried to argue against it but, when it came down to it, it was easier just to agree."

"So, you were sent to Vietnam?" JR nodded. "After basic training, if you could call it that. I remember arriving at an air strip outside Saigon. There was a plane full of us, all young men, from every walk of life you could imagine. None of us really knew what was going on…."

He got up from his chair to refresh his drink. "Want one?" he asked, raising the decanter into the air in front of him. Katherine shook her head. "Not right now, thanks." He poured another large measure and slipped a couple of ice cubes into the glass before resuming his seat. "You don't have to if you don't want to?" Katherine suggested although by now he had gained her interest. This was a part of JR Ewing's life that she had never heard about before and it was as captivating as it was intriguing.

"It's time this story was told" he answered "although if you hadn't come into my life it might have remained buried forever." He paused to take a hefty slug of bourbon before continuing to speak. "The first thing we all felt as we got off that plane was the heat. It hit you, taking your breath away, making you break into a sweat as never before and then, within minutes, sapping your energy, making it an effort to walk especially with your pack on your back. Someone shouted over to us- _"welcome to hell"._ That's when I knew – whatever it would take to survive here was what I was going to have to do."

Katherine shook her head sadly. She had read enough about the war to know. "For the first few weeks we were just dodging bullets, or worse. None of us had a clue. We followed orders, ran, fired and prayed for the best. I don't know if it was wit or good fortune or a little of both that kept me out of harm's way…"

He gazed out of the window out to the ocean before turning back to make eye contact with her. "Anyway, after a while of keeping out of trouble I found myself promoted, as if the mere fact of survival merited reward. That's when I met her."

Katherine was shocked. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that a woman might be involved in his story. She stood and walked over to the drinks trolley. "I've changed my mind" she told him as she poured herself a stiff vodka tonic. Part of her wanted to hear what he had to say, for him to complete his story so that she might understand. The other, however, was filled with trepidation.

JR waited for her to take her seat again before continuing. "There were women in the villages. Some would offer favours for money, you know what I mean, don't you?" JR asked rhetorically and without expecting an answer. "Things were so dire that encounters like that, well, they became a way of coping, a momentary distraction from what went on when we were sent into combat. There was this one girl though. She was different. She was the daughter of a local school teacher and she was pretty much the only one who knew any English. Her name was Sen."

"Go on" Katherine urged him as he broke into a sad, wistful smile. "She was so pretty and so very shy. I watched her for a while fetching and carrying for her parents, never once making eye contact with any of us. There appeared to be no hostility though so, one day, I approached her. She was carrying a basket of herbs and other vegetables and I used the excuse that I wanted to know where she had got them from. I was surprised when she responded to my clumsy gesturing in fairly good, albeit faltering, English. She told me that her grandmother had a small garden at the back of her house where she grew them. The family made money by selling them to officers who were bored of the usual rations. I asked her how much and, when she answered me, I offered her double, really as a way to get her to carry on talking. I remember how she laughed. It was as if she couldn't believe that I was prepared to pay her such an amount. Anyway, by the end of the conversation she had volunteered to cook for me, to turn the ingredients into something that would taste good."

JR smiled again, ostensibly at the memory, but then his expression darkened. "What happened?" Katherine asked, trying to disguise her impatience. "We slipped into a routine where I would buy what she had and she would cook it for me, adding in my army rations to bulk it out. She made the humblest of foods taste so good and, while she prepared the meal, I would help her practise her English."

Katherine raised her eyebrow. "Didn't you ever….?" She asked. JR shook his head. "No, never. I respected her too much. It was just nice to be in her company. We kissed a couple of times but that was all. Some of the others would try it on but I always warned them off. By then I commanded a degree of respect, power even, with my fellow soldiers mainly because of my generosity with stuff like cigarettes and candy, things that most of them couldn't afford to buy from the locals who ran the black market." So?" Katherine asked. "Were you in love with her?"

JR nodded sadly. "Yes, I believe I was. Although some of it was undoubtedly born out of circumstance. I can't describe how desperate it was most of the time and you took pleasure wherever and however you could find it. When I was with her things just seemed better. She knew the score though. I had explained to her that I couldn't bring her back here with me and she understood. That was just before…"

"Before what?" Katherine asked insistently. "She was killed" he responded. He raised his eyes to the ceiling as if to frustrate any tears. Katherine looked down at the floor, embarrassed by her naivete. Of course it had to end that way thinking about it sensibly, she admonished herself.

"She was shot by a sniper as she crossed the street to come over to me. No doubt some regarded her as a traitor for fraternising with the Americans. She was already gone by the time I got to her. It's not the blood that I remember most. It was her basket, right next to her lifeless body, its contents strewn across the street. That's the image that comes to me, in my dreams, in my nightmares. I was blamed of course, by her family and her friends and soon after I managed to negotiate as transfer to Japan where I saw out the rest of my service."

"I'm sorry, JR" Katherine told him. "I wanted you to know about this experience, honey, because it helped to shape the person I became afterwards. If life could be so fragile and so very short then I was determined to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without any thought for the consequences. For a time, it suited me just fine even though I know I hurt Sue Ellen and others in the process. But that all changed, because of you. Now I have all I want, right here, with you. If you will only give me another chance."

Tbc


	28. Chapter 28

Katherine rose from her seat and walked to the window. Unsure of what to say she stared out to the ocean, now grey and foreboding with the threat of a storm. JR remained silent, waiting for her to speak.

She turned back to face him and noted that his story had taken its toll. "I understand" she told him finally. The simplicity of her response touched him- for the first time in his life he had been able to unburden himself, to explain and the sense of relief was enormous. He would never have been able to tell Sue Ellen, even though, on more occasions than he wished to admit, he had behaved abominably towards her. She had simply been expected to forgive and forget, as if it was her duty and his divine right, without ever knowing what lay behind his ill treatment of her.

"Thank you" he answered eventually, taking a slug of bourbon before looking down at the floor. Katherine sighed. "So, if I were to give you another chance what would make you behave differently?" she asked.

"I don't know, honey. All I know is that with you it is different. You are all I ever wanted. When I'm with you, things aren't as complicated. You get me and I get you. Please, Katherine, let me show you the husband that I can be, the husband that I want to be, to you?"

She shook her head gently making him fear the worst. Drawing her cardigan around her, she sat back down, facing him and stared into his eyes. "I must be mad, JR…" He jumped up and grasped both her hands, pulling her to stand. "Do you mean it?" he enquired anxiously, keen to seize the moment. "Yes" she answered solemnly, heart ruling head, no longer able to resist him. "But remember, you made me a promise and I expect you to keep it."

He nodded vigorously. "I will!" he declared earnestly before kissing her hesitantly. "We need to talk much more. There are practicalities that we have never even begun to discuss before. Your little boy for a start…" she began. "I know" he cut across her. "There's nothing that we cannot overcome together though, Katherine. You and I have to hold onto that."

She led him by the hand to the sofa, elated yet worried at the same time. Sitting down together she continued. "There will be opposition, you know, from your family and mine. Oh Lord! I can just imagine how Cliff will react to this, not that I care much for what he thinks. It's just, I don't know, I suppose what I'm trying to say is that it's not going to be easy."

Pulling her closer to him, he grasped her hand tightly and gazed into her eyes. "Whatever faces us we will overcome together. I agree, there will be hurdles to overcome but we're both strong and determined. We will make this work. Trust me."

She buried her head into his chest without replying. Make the most of this, she told herself as she snuggled into him, inhaling his smell, happy, relieved, in love . They watched through the window as the rain set in and the ocean began to swell. They didn't need words. Enough had been said already. Right there and then nobody else mattered.

Back at Southfork the family were gathering for dinner. Sue Ellen walked into the living room and greeted her relatives. "Did you have a good day?" Miss Ellie asked, attempting to scrutinise her daughter-in-law's demeanour, hoping against hope that her afternoon had not been spent in a cocktail bar.

Sue Ellen smiled. "I did, thank you" she responded. "I'll tell you all later." She looked pointedly at her son, signalling that what she had to say was not for his hearing, at least not yet. Miss Ellie poured a large glass of Scotch and took her seat, relieved. "Are you hungry, John Ross?" Sue Ellen asked. The little boy nodded but seemed unenthusiastic. "When will Daddy be home?" he asked worriedly. "I'm not sure" his mother responded. "It won't be long before he's back though." Sue Ellen's thoughts drifted first to the new home that lay in wait for her and then to her husband. His continued absence told her that he and Katherine must be working things out together. She wanted not to care but the reality was that she did. She and JR might be through but why should he get another chance with someone else?

Dismissing the thought, because it was nothing but destructive, she focussed once more on the future, her future, with a beautiful new house and enough money to keep her in the style to which she had become accustomed. Perhaps there was also someone out there just waiting for her, she mused, not that she would be ready for that for some time. The immediate future had to be about her and John Ross, she resolved quickly. However, the thought, one day, of remarriage to a man who could make her happy was one that she couldn't completely let go of.

"Dinner's ready" Theresa announced jolting her from her thoughts. As they processed into the dining room Clayton fell into step alongside her. "Are you sure you're okay?" he whispered. She nodded firmly. "Don't worry, Clayton. I'm better than that. Today I faced my future and it felt good" she replied cryptically.

After dinner, when John Ross was settled in bed and fast asleep, she re-joined the rest of the family downstairs. Clearing her throat, she began to speak. "I placed an offer on a house not too far away from here" she told them. "The purchase is to be expedited so that I can move as soon as possible." "Oh Sue Ellen!" Miss Ellie declared. "What's the rush? There's more than enough room here for you and JR to stay out of each other's way."

"I just need to leave. I'm sorry but that's how I feel. JR will be home very soon, no doubt having reconciled with Katherine and planning the future with her. The quicker and the cleaner the break the better, as far as I am concerned. Anyway, it's only about twenty minutes' drive from here."

Miss Ellie shook her head sadly. "It just all seems so final." "Now come on, Miss Ellie" Clayton interjected. "Sue Ellen's right. It's sad but she has to be realistic. Life must go on."

Tbc


End file.
